SuperFamily: A New Addition
by MysteriousMisterB
Summary: In an alternate universe: Steve Rogers and Tony Stark have been happily married for quite some time now and things are perfect. Except Steve really wants to have kids. Tony, however, does not. So when SHIELD comes knocking on the door of the Avengers' Tower with an orphaned baby boy, the Super-Husbands seemingly perfect lives take a sudden turn. Could they become a SuperFamily?
1. Chapter 1

**So here is my first attempt at writing something. I've been reading some stories about "SuperFamily" and I was inspired to write my own take on the concept (I love Cap and IronMan). Thanks for taking the time to actually click this one and I really hope you enjoy the story I've come up with!**

 **I plan on incorporating aspects from the comics and films into this story, so some backstories may change so that characters and references can be integrated nicely. I apologize in advance if these changes offend/upset anyone.**

 **I also imagined that Steve, Tony and the other Avengers are a little bit younger than they are depicted in the movies/comics. Just so that their ages make sense as Peter grows up.**

 **And finally, I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 1**

Walking out of his private gym, Steve heard light snoring coming from the living room of the Rogers-Stark penthouse. The lights were dim, the flat screen TV was off, and a mess of dark brown hair was hanging over the armrest of the large sofa.

"Tony?" Steve called out gently as he crept towards his sleeping husband; a smile slowly formed on his face.

There he was, lying fast asleep in his favorite AC/DC t-shirt and work jeans; a light blue glow from his reactor shining on his face. Partially covering his reactor was another figure, a smaller body wearing a set of light blue pajamas. It was a little baby who was asleep too, huddled very closely to the warm blue light coming off of Tony's rising chest.

Steve moved closer and brushed his hand through Tony's curly locks, and was about to touch the baby's head…

 _"_ _Good morning, Mr. Rogers, it is currently 7:30 am."_ _A smooth English voice called out._

"Morning JARVIS, thank you." Steve quietly said as he rolled out of bed.

 _"You are very welcome sir."_ The AI chirped back, _"Mr. Stark is currently in his lab, shall I let him know you are awake?"_

"It's fine JARVIS, thank you." Steve replied as he looked at the empty bed behind him; the sheets were wrinkled and the pillow had clearly been used. "He must've woken up in the middle of the night." Steve said under his breath as he walked to the bathroom for a shower.

When he got out, Steve wrapped a towel around his waist and began to brush his teeth. Looking into the mirror, he couldn't help but think about his dream that night.

He had always wanted a family of his own, and he understood that Tony was happy with just the two of them. He also knew that Tony basically raised himself when he was little; when Howard Stark had become the biggest businessman in the world. So whenever the topic of kids came up, Tony always argued against it, and would say that he didn't want to turn out like his old man and end up neglecting Steve and their children.

He frowned at himself in the mirror then spat out the foam in his mouth. His train of thought was interrupted by a pair of arms that were wrapped around his bare torso.

"Thanks for the invite." Tony whispered with a wink into Steve's ear; the warm breath tickled, making the super-soldier smile, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah… thanks." Steve said nervously as he kissed Tony on the cheek.

Tony looked into Steve's eyes, and made a quick grin, "Pancakes for breakfast sound good?" he asked as he turned to face the open bathroom door, "Great! I wanted pancakes too!" he called out before Steve could respond.

oooOOOooo

It was 8:15 when Steve walked into the kitchen, now wearing a white muscle shirt and sweatpants, and sat down at the island counters in front of the stove that Tony was cooking on. He looked out at the giant windows to his left, the sky was clear and he could see a baby bird learning to fly; he noticed that he was frowning a little.

"I had another dream last night." Steve finally piped up.

"Was I in it? I had to have been in it!" Tony replied without looking at his frowning husband.

"You were," There was a pause, "and there was a baby too."

Tony finally looked up into Steve's eyes.

"Oh… you had one of those ones again." Tony said as he sat in the seat beside Steve, resting his head on the muscled shoulder next to him, wanting to avoid the incoming conversation, knowing that it would just become another argument.

"It's fine." Steve said as if he could read Tony's mind, "I get that you don't like kids."

"It's not that I don't like kids!" Tony barked with pancake pieces still in his mouth, "We've already talked about this hun, I don't want a child to be raised like I was! And besides, with what we do, how we live, it's not the best environment to raise a family. Look at what happened to Wanda."

Steve turned away. He couldn't help but remember the day the Scarlet Witch lost her twins, William and Thomas. Granted, they weren't really her kids. She just used her reality warping abilities to create twins for her and the Vision, and one day, they were just gone. Wanda spiraled into a deep depression and for a while, stopped going on missions with the team. It took months for her to recover, and even now, she still isn't the same.

"We aren't going to end up like Wanda," Steve said as he turned to Tony, "and you won't become your father. Just listening to you now, sounds like you're a better man than he was."

"And how do you know that?" Tony said sounding somewhat offended.

"You're actually concerned about a child we don't even have!" Steve shot back, "You keep saying how you don't want kids, but your reasoning is always based on your own behaviour. That should mean something!" Now Steve was holding back tears, he hated arguing with Tony, and having kids was always a touchy subject.

Without waiting for a reply, Steve got up from his half eaten breakfast and walked over to the window and just stared out into New York City, still fighting the urge to cry. "Why am I even upset?" he asked himself, "This shouldn't even be bothering me." Suddenly, he felt two arms wrap around him again, and he melted into the soft kisses on his shoulder and neck.

"I'm sorry," Tony said softly in between his kisses.

Steve smiled to himself. Tony had become a better human being since they had gotten together. Sure, he would still be an ass sometimes, and his snarky comments would burst out of the inventor's mouth without warning, but Tony learned to understand when Steve was hurt or upset. This was one of those moments. For a while, the super couple stood together, watching the bustling city below them, they were content in each other's arms.

 _"Sir, Ms. Potts would like to come in."_ The English voice ruined the moment.

"Well tell her I'm busy!" Tony snapped as a screen appeared on the window. It was Pepper standing outside the door to the penthouse.

 _"I'm afraid she's getting rather upset."_

"Let me talk to him JARVIS!" the angry red-head called out.

"Fine, let her in." Tony said as he rolled his eyes, let go of Steve, and walked towards the bedroom.

A flurry of angry words came through the door as Pepper walked in, her black high-heels clicked loudly on the hardwood floor below her. But her tone suddenly changed when she realized it was Steve waiting by the sofa.

"Steve!" Pepper exclaimed, "Sorry about the yelling and the _bad words_."

"Don't worry about it," Steve said as he kissed Pepper on the cheek lightly.

"So, where is that husband of yours?"

"I'm not too sure actually. I think he went into the bedroom. Have a seat, would you like some water?"

"Thank you Steve, but I'm fine." Pepper smiled as she sat on the sofa.

"What did Tony forget this time?" Steve jokingly asked the very upset woman across the room.

"Oh the usual, he's late for some board meetings… _again_."

"I'm sorry, I guess I must've lost track of the time," a sarcastic voice called from the hallway behind them.

Pepper turned around to see Tony Stark wearing his business suit and shades, his hair was combed back but still messy, and there was a snarky smile smeared on his face.

"You my dear, are the one that's late." Tony said as we walked towards the now red-faced Pepper. "My meeting was supposed to start at 9 o'clock and you're here at 9:15."

"Oh it's my fault now?" Pepper said to her boss, "Happy was waiting for you downstairs for 30 minutes and now you're blaming it on me?"

Tony opened his mouth to respond.

"Not another word." Pepper said sternly as she grabbed Tony by the arm and pulled towards the door, "Bye Steve!" She yelled with a smile.

"Love you Cap!" Tony called.

Steve just smiled as the door closed.

oooOOOooo

It had been almost an hour and half since the start of the meeting at Stark Industries and Tony was clearly bored. He was playing around with the pen in front of him as a member of the board was giving his presentation on the proposed deal with Oscorp when the doors to the meeting room swung open.

"Agent Hill! You can't barge in like this; he's in the middle of a meeting!" Pepper yelled from the desk outside the room, causing a few heads in the room to turn.

"He won't mind," Agent Maria Hill called back coldly, "isn't that right Mr. Stark?"

"No, not at all!" Tony chuckled as he got up from his chair at the end of the table, "I'm all yours!"

Tony followed the SHIELD agent down the hall and out the door, "What does Fury need now?" he asked while loosening the tie around his neck.

"There's been an attack on a science facility outside of New York. No suspects yet, but the research being done is sensitive material. Fury wants you to contain the situation." Hill said without looking at the scurrying businessman behind her, "We've already got Widow, Hawkeye and Captain Marvel on the ground."

The pair made it out of the building where Happy was waiting outside of Tony's car.

"I'm gonna need the case, Happy." Tony said quickly.

Happy pulled a briefcase out of the trunk and threw it onto the ground, "There you go, sir."

Tony stepped into the case and was immediately wrapped in his 'portable' suit of armour. He looked over at Agent Hill, nodded, and was in the air.

oooOOOooo

"Sir, what is happening out there? I'll suit up if you need me to." Steve was yelling at the hovering screen in front of him, Director Fury was on the other end.

"No!" Fury yelled over the chaos behind him in the SHIELD control room, "I've got Stark, Romanoff, Barton and Danvers over there already. They've got it contained! And don't even think about contacting your husband."

"I should be there Sir!" Steve was pacing the room now, his arms were folded around him and the glowing screen followed where he went. Fury ignored his 'request'.

"JARVIS! I want the news-feed on what's happening with the Avengers." Steve called out, his voice was stressed and frustrated.

 _"Right away sir."_

Another screen appeared in place of Fury's face; the live feed from WHiH News with a blonde woman on the field, Christine Everhart. A building was on fire behind her, and Natasha and Clint could be seen helping fleeing scientists out of the blaze.

"As you can see behind me, four members of the Avengers are trying to contain the fire that followed an attack on a science lab just outside of downtown New York." Everhart said into the camera, "No suspects have been identified, and NYPD are currently looking for any evidence that can help find who may have caused this."

The camera zoomed in on Iron Man flying into an open window; smoke billowed out of the same opening. Steve's heart stopped beating as he waited for Tony to emerge, the seconds he waited felt like an eternity.

"She's coming down!" The fire chief called out in the background; policemen and firefighters began to flee the inferno. Captain Marvel swooped down and picked up an injured Black Widow, while Hawkeye helped one last scientist out of the main entrance. Iron Man still hadn't come out of the building.

"Come on Tony." Steve said to the screen as the building began creaking under the weight of the upper levels. He wasn't breathing now; he didn't want their morning argument to be their last conversation.

Steve was just about to faint when a red and yellow figure, holding an unconscious woman, came flying out of the collapsing building. "Thank God!" Steve heard himself scream out into the empty living room; a sense of relief washing over him.

oooOOOooo

"Don't ever do that again!" Steve said into Tony's neck as he wrapped his arms around his very tired husband.

"Did you really think I was gonna let a building take me down?" Tony asked with a small smile on his face, "You and I have been through much worse."

"Yeah I know, but Fury wouldn't let me near the building and he wouldn't tell what was going on, and I got worried, and I couldn't call you either. I had to watch the news to find get my updates and I was so scared. I had to be there! I'm an Av-"

Steve's babbling was interrupted by a kiss on the lips from Iron Man.

"Don't worry about me. I am fine." Tony said before he planted another one on his shaky husband's cheek. "How's Nat?"

"She's downstairs, with Banner" Steve replied as they walked towards the elevator to the Avengers' floor of the tower.

oooOOOooo

 _The Next Morning…_

Tony woke up on his own, realizing that he had asked JARVIS to let him and Steve sleep in for a bit. He turned to his left to see that the bed was empty.

"What time is it JARVIS?" He said; his voice still raspy and tired from his superhero-ing that night.

 _"It is 11:18 am, sir."_

"And where's Steve?"

 _"Mr. Rogers is downstairs, in the Avengers' common room."_

"What the hell is he doing down there?" Tony asked.

 _"He is with Director Fury, sir."_

"You couldn't tell me that when I asked where he was?" Tony said sarcastically.

 _"I don't know, sir. You did program me."_

"Remind me to update your _common sense modifications_." Tony shook his head as he walked out of the bedroom, towards the elevator, still in his pajamas.

oooOOOooo

The doors opened, and Tony was surprised to see the other Avengers and Pepper gathered in the room. Sitting at the end of the long couch was Director Fury and sitting across from him on the armchair was Steve; his back to the elevator.

"What's with the party? Thanks for the invitation Nick." Tony said as he walked towards his friends, "Something wrong, Steve?"

Steve got up very slowly, still facing away from Tony. As he turned around, Tony could feel his mouth drop very slightly. Now he knew why everyone was here.

"Morning Tony," Steve said with a smile, "say _hi_ to Peter." He was holding a baby boy.

* * *

 **There you go! Thanks again for reading and feel free to leave reviews, let me know what you think and how I can improve the story!**

 **-B**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I've got a couple of things to say before Chapter 2 starts:**

 **I want to thank everyone for the reviews, follows and favourites from the first chapter! There aren't many, but it means a lot, and it really pushes me to get better and to keep writing for you all.**

 **I also want to apologize for taking almost a week to upload this chapter. I was out of town since Dec 26 and couldn't upload while travelling. BUT I did manage to write quite a bit while I was away! (this chapter is some of it)**

 **Also just wanted to give a quick shout out to my dear friend Leni, who has pushed me to do this and has been my editor and the first reader for all the chapters I have already written.**

 **Finally, I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 2**

"Hi?" Tony said to the pair of bright hazel baby eyes in front of him, "Who are you?"

"Have a seat, Mr. Stark." Fury said sternly from behind Steve. "Ms. Potts, could you take Peter outside for a moment. I'd like to speak to the Avengers privately."

Tony ignored the command. Pepper, however, nervously walked to Steve, took the infant in her arms and walked into the elevator.

"You can't boss her around like that. That's my job. Thank you very much." Tony said sarcastically.

"I don't have time for your humor, Mr. Stark." The director shot back coldly, " _Have a seat."_

Tony did as he was told this time; sitting beside his husband. The other Avengers did the same: Natasha, Clint, Bruce and Carol all sat on the sofas around the glass coffee table in the centre of the room.

"That child is Peter Parker, the son of Richard and Mary Parker." Fury said when everyone had settled in their seats.

"Richard and Mary Parker were SHIELD scientists. They were both nuclear physicists that were conducting research on gamma radiation, more specifically, its effects on living organisms."

Dr. Banner looked nervous when he heard " _gamma radiation"_ come out of Nick Fury's mouth, "You're still doing that? Really?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Yes, Dr. Banner. We are." Fury replied. He turned to face Tony again, "Unfortunately, the two of them were killed in the attacks on the science facilities last night, so SHIELD took him in. The boy has a widowed aunt from Queens..."

"So why is the kid here?" Tony interjected, "If he's got family still, why did you bring him to us?"

Steve frowned.

"She's in the hospital. His aunt is the woman you saved before the building collapsed, Mr. Stark… And like I said," Fury said to the couple, "the Parkers were studying gamma radiation. And there are concerns that Peter has been exposed to this… this radiation. We fear that it might have some effects on his growth and development."

"Dr. Banner," he turned to Bruce, "you understand these concerns don't you?"

The Avengers looked at the stressed scientist.

Being the result of similar experiments, Bruce understood the concerns that SHIELD had about the boy. He was scared of himself and he knew the damage the _green guy_ could cause. A memory flashed in his head; a broken Harlem.

Bruce nodded.

"Good. Our doctors have already run a few DNA tests on Peter, and have found acute levels of gamma radiation; they plan on having regular check-ups with him." Fury continued, "Now the boy's aunt is in critical condition, and it has been agreed that _this i_ s the best course of action."

"And what is _this_?" Natasha asked; breaking her silence.

"That the boy lives in the Tower."

oooOOOooo

Steve was sitting at the edge of the bed, scratching his head in frustration, while Tony was pacing around in their bedroom; a slew of angry words coming out of his mouth.

There was finally a child in the tower, and all Steve wanted to do was have him live in the penthouse. He offered to downsize his private gym to make space for little Peter and even suggested that Tony update JARVIS to accommodate the baby. But Steve knew that he would never be able to convince his husband to side with him.

"Absolutely not!" Tony barked.

"Why not?" Steve was very upset now, "We have so much space up here, you won't even notice him."

"Do you even know what babies do?" Tony scoffed, "They eat, they sleep, they shit, and they cry. Do you really think I'll be able to ignore that?"

Steve froze; he didn't know what to say.

"And another thing," Tony's rant continued, "I thought we established that I'm not fit to be in a _fatherly_ position. You may be able to, but I sure as hell can't." He turned away, "I thought that you… you of all people, would understand that."

A soft sniffle made Tony look back; it was Steve. Realizing what he had done, he took a step towards his crying super-soldier. He reached out to touch his face, but Steve got up and walked towards the door.

 _"Director Fury has returned, sir."_

"Steve, wait." Tony called, trying to form an apology in his head.

The door slammed shut behind Steve.

oooOOOooo

"Thank you, sir." Steve said to Director Fury, no emotion in his voice.

"No, Captain. Thank you." The elevator door closed and Fury was gone.

Steve turned around to look at the sleeping baby in the carrier that SHIELD had provided, along with a crib, diapers, baby bottles, and packs of formula. This was the first time he had been able to get a good look at the baby.

Peter was still very small (no more than three months), he had thin brown hair growing out of the top his head and he looked very comfortable in his red onesie. His little chest rose and fell steadily with each breath he took.

Steve frowned slightly; the sight of the sleeping baby Peter reminded him of his argument with Tony.

"Everything okay Steve?" A familiar voice asked from behind him. It was Pepper.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Steve said, but his sad eyes said otherwise.

Pepper walked up to Steve and gave him a hug, "It's good you're taking this little guy in." She brushed her hand through Peter's soft hair.

Steve just smiled, "I'll take Peter into one of the spare rooms."

Pepper nodded slightly as she sat on the couch and pulled out her tablet. Steve picked up the baby carrier in one hand and took the crib in the other and walked down the hall of the Avengers' shared floor. He smiled at Bruce as they passed each other.

"JARVIS, which room is available for Peter?" He said softly, so not to wake the sleeping infant.

 _"The room at the very end of the hallway is open."_

"Thank you JARVIS."

 _"With pleasure, sir."_

Steve opened the door slowly and turned on the lights. The room was furnished with the basic necessities: a double bed, a closet, a desk and chair, and a small TV. But it still felt very empty inside. He put the crib down near the centre of the room and placed the carrier on the bed and sat down beside Peter.

"I am gonna take real good care of you." He said as he put his finger in Peter's soft hand, "Maybe one day... Tony'll help too."

Steve unbuckled Peter and gently pulled him out, holding him very closely and resting his little head on his large shoulder. He was about to place him in the crib, but changed his mind and lay on the bed with Peter asleep on his chest.

"I am gonna take good care of you Peter." He whispered as he closed his eyes.

oooOOOooo

The argument with Steve left Tony feeling like crap, so he let his emotions out by doing what he does best: work on his toys. When Steve left the bedroom to meet with Nick Fury, Tony went down to his shared workshop to meet and work with Bruce.

Tony was in the process of clearing out ash from the air vents of his Mark V suit (aka the briefcase suit) when a piece of the right shoulder broke off, causing the rest of the arm to fall in a chain reaction.

"Mother…" He cursed under his breath.

"You alright there Tony?" Bruce called from behind his computer.

"Yup," Tony grunted as he picked the pieces off the floor. "I'm just fine."

"You sure? 'Cus you haven't really been focused since you started working." Bruce's eyebrow was raised.

"Yes, Bruce." Tony snapped back, "I told you, _I am fine_."

* _CLANG*_

A piece of the arm Tony was holding fell to the ground; Bruce jumped a bit in his seat.

"For the love of…" Tony stopped himself this time.

He walked over to Bruce, and noticed that he was very focused on the article he was reading on gamma radiation.

"You got that kid on your mind too, huh?"

Bruce looked up from his computer and took off his glasses.

"Yeah," he said, "the effects that gamma radiation has on humans, is not good. I would know. I'm guessing you think about him too."

Tony felt himself frown as he opened up to his lab partner, "Steve and I fought about him. He wants to have the kid live in the penthouse with us, but he knows that I can't help raise him."

"What happened?"

"He walked out on me…" Tony looked at his shoes, "he was _super_ pissed."

Bruce didn't know what to say. He wasn't the best with relationship advice; _his_ relationships never really worked out.

"Wonder where he is." Tony said to himself.

He looked up again, "JARVIS, where is Steve right now?"

 _"It appears he is asleep in one of the bedrooms on the Avengers' level."_

"Yeah, I passed by him on my way to the lab." Bruce joined in, "He was carrying Peter."

"Of course he was." Tony scoffed as he walked back to his damaged Mark V.

oooOOOooo

Steve woke up from his nap to Peter squirming around in his arms. When Peter realized that Steve had woken up, he stopped moving and looked right into the super-soldier's blue eyes and just stared.

Steve smiled, "Hey buddy."

He patted the little baby on the head and sat up on the edge of the bed, still holding Peter close to his chest. He walked over to the large window, the sun was setting and the lights of New York City were starting to turn on.

"What time is it JARVIS?"

 _"It is 6:37 pm, sir."_

Peter looked up at the ceiling, trying to find where the AI's voice was coming from. Steve chuckled and kissed the baby boy on the forehead.

"Let's go grab some dinner!" Steve said as he took Peter outside of the bedroom.

"There he is!" Carol called as she scurried from the kitchen to Peter.

Steve handed the baby boy to her and walked to the stove to see what Natasha was cooking, he could hear Peter giggling behind him.

"Mind if we have dinner with you guys tonight?" Steve asked Natasha as he prepared Peter's formula.

"Sure," Natasha said without looking up from her pot of pasta, "if you don't mind eating dinner with just the ladies." The corners of her lips formed a smile.

"Yeah," Carol said as she walked into the kitchen with Peter, "Clint went home to see his family, and Bruce hasn't come back up from the lab."

"I don't mind." Steve said with a smile, "And I'm sure you don't mind either!" He said as he tickled Peter's belly.

"Then let's eat!" Natasha called from behind them, as she handed them both plates of her pasta.

The three superheroes sat around the dinner table with Peter sitting on Steve's lap. Before he began eating, Steve fed Peter his formula, leaving his steaming plate of pasta on the table.

"It's gonna get cold!" Carol said with a laugh.

"I don't mind," Steve said looking up at her, "this guy's gotta eat first."

 _"Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark would like to speak with you."_

Steve sighed, "Put him through JARVIS." He handed Peter over to Natasha.

A blue screen appeared in front of Steve as he excused himself from the table; Tony was on the other end, the penthouse kitchen in the background.

"You coming for dinner, hun?" Tony asked with a grin.

"You gonna let Peter come with me?" Steve replied with a question.

"I'd prefer it if it was only you who came home." Tony was still smiling.

Steve couldn't believe that Tony had the guts to say that to him after their argument that afternoon. He was frowning now.

"Well then I guess I'll just stay here."

"Where are you gonna sleep?" Tony's smile melted away.

"Here. With Peter."

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 2! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it and feel free to leave reviews! Let me know what you guys think and how I can improve the story.**

 **Also, because I was away for a week, my apology to you guys is uploading the next two chapters at the same time very soon! Hopefully tomorrow _(Dec 31)._ I just need to edit them both.**

 **Thanks again for the support!**

 **-B**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! So as I promised, I am posting Chapters 3 and 4 tonight and this is Chapter 3!**

 **So this chapter really focuses on the relationship between Steve and Peter, so there isn't any Tony in this one (sadly).**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!**

 **As always, I do not own anything Marvel. All mentioned properties belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 3**

"Sorry about that." Steve said to his two friends as he took his seat at the table.

"What happened?" Carol asked, "You sounded upset."

Steve looked down at his plate of untouched pasta; he shook his head lightly. He thought that he had separated himself from the ladies enough; that he had given enough space between him and the dining table. He really didn't want to bring his friends into _his_ problems.

"Sorry Carol," he apologized, "I didn't mean for you guys to hear that."

Carol raised an eyebrow.

"Tony and I...," Steve continued, "we got into a fight."

"About Peter?" Natasha asked; still holding the baby in her lap.

"Yeah." Steve said before he took a bite of pasta, "It's nothing though. Pasta's great, by the way!"

"Thanks." Natasha said. She understood that Steve didn't want to talk about Tony anymore, so she just smiled as Steve took another bite.

"We're here," Carol said as she held Steve's hand, "if you ever want to talk."

She flashed a warm smile at him.

"Thank you," Steve was smiling too, "means a lot."

"Uh guys? What's wrong with him?" Natasha said as she held Peter out in front of her.

Peter was clearly upset about something, his round face had begun to scrunch up and turn red. He opened his little mouth and a loud cry filled the dining room.

"Aww baby," Carol said in light singing voice; she was frowning too, "don't cry."

But Peter kept crying.

"Is he hungry?" Natasha asked with an irritated tone.

Steve held Peter's bottle of formula to his face. But the crying boy turned away; his crying getting louder and louder.

"Maybe he's tired?" Carol suggested.

"He had a nap an hour ago." Steve said as he reached for Peter.

Natasha handing him over quickly, wanting to let go of him as fast as possible.

"Oh," Steve said as he held Peter closer, "he needs a diaper change."

He got up from the table with a crying Peter in his arms, "Let's get you cleaned up!" He said, trying to calm the baby down.

Steve grabbed a fresh diaper and the pack of wipes and headed for the washroom.

"You think he knows what he's doing?" Carol asked Natasha.

"Doubt it." Natasha replied with a smirk.

"Guys?" A voice called from down the hall.

The ladies couldn't help but giggle as they walked to the bathroom.

When they opened the door, they found Steve holding Peter down on the counter with one hand, and a diaper in the other. Peter was naked from the waist down, his red onesie was rolled up to his chest and he was squirming against the cold countertop.

"Oh my God!" Carol covered her mouth.

"What the hell are you doing?" Natasha asked as she took the diaper from Steve's hand.

"Can you help?" Steve asked as he desperately tried to hold the moving baby.

"Don't look at me," Carol said as she turned to the door, "I was a pilot, not a nanny."

Carol walked out, with a smile plastered on her face.

"Carol!" Natasha was annoyed now, "I'm not doing this!"

Peter started crying again. The cold countertop was too uncomfortable for the half naked baby, and the super-soldier hand on his chest wasn't helping either.

"Nat," Steve sounded desperate, "help me! Please! He's crying again."

"Fine." Natasha's voice was cold.

She walked over to the counter with a blank face on and pushed Steve aside. She opened the diaper and held Peter's two legs up with one hand. The diaper was placed under Peter's bottom and then wrapped tightly around his waist.

"What the… How?" Steve was surprised at how effective Natasha was at this.

"I went undercover as a nanny a few years back…" Natasha said with a smirk as she walked out the door; Peter was still on his back, "I'll teach you."

"Thank you!" Steve called out to her.

He walked up to the counter, buttoned up the rest of Peter's onesie, picked him up, then walked out into the shared living room.

Bruce was back from the lab and was sitting on the couch flipping through the channels on the TV. Steve sat next to Natasha, who was also on the couch, with Peter in his arms.

"Hey Bruce. What are you guys watching?" Steve asked.

"Hey Steve." Bruce said back, his voice was tired from a day of working.

"Nothing special." Natasha chimed in, taking Peter's little hand in hers.

Carol walked in from the kitchen as she took off her apron; she was washing the dishes.

"Let's watch a movie!" She suggested to the three.

"What movie?" Natasha asked without turning to look at her.

"I don't know." Carol shrugged as she placed her apron on the armrest of the couch.

Peter yawned and proceeded to snuggle closer into Steve's muscular chest.

"Sorry guys, but I think I should take Peter to bed." Steve said to his three friends, "Can I get a rain check?"

"Sure! Not a problem." Carol said with a smile, "You gonna go back to Tony after?"

Bruce looked at him. After spending a day with Tony, he was curious about Steve's answer.

"No." Steve frowned slightly, "That's if… you guys don't mind." He wanted to make sure he was welcome to stay the night.

"Go right ahead!" Carol replied for the three of them.

"Thanks." Steve said with a warm smile on his face, "Night guys."

Bruce just nodded; he was too tired to say anything.

"Night." Natasha said, now focused on the TV.

"Goodnight Peter!" Carol called from the couch.

Steve smiled again, showing his teeth this time, and walked down the hall. He entered the bedroom and the lights were off.

"JARVIS?" Steve asked, "Could you turn the lights on, but have them a little dim please?"

 _"Of course, sir."_ JARVIS said as the lights turned on; dim, but bright enough to see.

Steve walked to the large window and looked out into the city, bright lights and fast cars everywhere. Peter yawned again as Steve repositioned him so that his head was resting on his shoulder.

"It's time to sleep buddy," Steve whispered to Peter.

Peter's eyes began to close slowly, but opened again. It was like he didn't want to sleep yet.

The super-soldier slowly shuffled around the room, gently rocking the baby in his arms and softly humming a melody that he was making up in his head. He stopped humming when he realized that Peter was asleep; when he was taking deeper and slower breaths.

Steve kissed Peter lightly on the top of his head as he walked over to the crib at the centre of the room. He kissed him again before he put the sleeping infant down.

"Goodnight, Peter." Steve whispered with a smile, "Sleep tight buddy, I'm right here if you need me."

Peter looked so calm in his sleep, his face was relaxed and his little hands had closed into fists near his cheeks.

Steve walked back to the bed and lay down under the covers. It wasn't the same without Tony beside him; he wanted to sleep with his husband in his arms. Even after that fight, even after crying because of him, Steve still loved Tony, and nothing was going to change that. He really wanted to be with him that night, but Peter needed him. And being there for the little baby made him feel better.

"JARVIS, where is Tony right now?"

There was a moment of silence as JARVIS searched for the inventor.

 _"He appears to be in the lab. Shall I call him for you?"_

"It's alright JARVIS." Steve said quietly, "Could you turn the lights off, please?"

The lights turned off. But the room wasn't dark; the lights of the city were shining through the window. It was just enough light to see the crib from the bed.

" _Goodnight, sir."_

"Goodnight, JARVIS."

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 3! Feel free to keep reading, Chapter 4 should be up right after this one.**

 **-B**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello people! As promised, this is Chapter 4. I really hope you enjoy!**

 **Thinking about it now, it kinda makes sense for these chapters (3 and 4) to be uploaded right after one another. They happen at the same time, both chapters start right after Steve hangs up on Tony, just in case it wasn't clear.**

 **Also, while the last chapter was all about Steve, this one is all about Tony. And a little bit of some _science bros_ (Tony and Bruce).**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **I do not own anything Marvel, all mentioned properties belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 4**

"Where are you gonna sleep?"

"Here. With Peter."

The screen with Steve's face disappeared instantly.

"Damnit Steve!" Tony yelled as he slammed his fist on the kitchen counter in front of him; the take-out Chinese dinner shook on impact.

Tony had asked Pepper to pick up dinner for him and Steve before she left the tower and was waiting for his husband to come home. When Steve didn't, Tony called and asked if he was, but was left disappointed.

So Tony stuffed Steve's half of the dinner into the refrigerator and took his half down to the lab to eat there.

The lab was mess, the Mark V wasn't fully repaired yet and tools and metal pieces were scattered around the room.

Tony pulled a stool up to one of the lab benches and began to shove cold noodles into his mouth. He thought about Steve and the _annoying_ child he was dragging around with him.

"What does he see in that kid?" Tony said out loud.

 _"I apologize, but I cannot answer that."_ JARVIS replied.

"Thanks JARVIS." Tony grumbled under his breath.

 _"Perhaps you should talk to him."_

Tony rolled his eyes as he pushed his food aside. He got up and walked over to his damaged suit.

"What needs repairing?"

 _"The right arm still hasn't been reattached, sir."_

"Oh really?" Tony said sarcastically, "What else?"

 _"There still appears to be traces of ash in the air vents, and there are dents and scratches on the chest piece."_

"Okay. Let's get started." Tony said as he put on his welding gloves.

He spent hours working on the suit, making sure that it was functioning the way it was before the fire. The air vents were cleaned out, the arm was attached properly, and the chest plate was replaced. The suit looked much sleeker after the repairs, it just needed a new paint job.

"JARVIS, it needs to be painted."

 _"Of course. Shall I render using your requested colours?"_

"Yeah, please." Tony said sluggishly from his seat and waited a few seconds for the image to project.

 _"The render is complete."_

Tony looked up at the hovering screen in front of him; it was the Mark V. But the colours weren't his usual red and yellow, the suit was a navy blue with accents of red and white.

"Why is it blue..." Tony started asking as he realized why.

A few days ago, he was working on Steve's new suit and had saved a file with the colours he was going to use; Steve's usual navy blue, red and white. It was going to be a surprise, but the arrival of Peter delayed its production.

"Uhh… Wrong colours." He felt himself frown.

 _"My apologies, sir."_

The screen disappeared.

 _"Render complete."_

The proper Mark V colours were projected now. Tony swiped his fingers in the air to see the back of the suit.

"Looks good." He said as he turned around.

 _"Initializing production."_

The screen disappeared again, and a small lift carried the uncoloured suit into a back room for painting.

"Time, JARVIS!" Tony called from the lab bench.

 _"3:24 am, sir."_

"Thanks…" Tony whispered as he closed his eyes.

oooOOOooo

"Tony!" A female voice filled the silent lab.

Tony was pulled by the ear from the bench he was sleeping on, his hair was covered in grease and so were his clothes.

"Agh! Shit Pepper!" He yelled as he got up and walked to the elevator.

"Do you know what time it is?" Pepper asked from behind him; she was red in the face

"JARVIS?" Tony called for his helper.

 _"9:44 am."_

"9:44 am." Tony parroted his response with a grin.

"I had to cancel your board meeting today because you were late!" Pepper yelled at him, "What the hell were you doing? And where's Steve?"

Her question made Tony stop before getting into the elevator.

"I was working. And I have no idea." He said as he stepped into the open lift, "You coming?"

Pepper stepped into the elevator, not sure what to say. Tony always knew where Steve was, and when he didn't, he would as JARVIS to find him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked as the pair stepped into the penthouse.

"No? Nothing's wrong." Tony said as he walked to his bar and made himself a drink. He offered one to Pepper.

Pepper shook her head, "It's ten in the morning and you're drinking already?"

She grabbed Tony's drink.

"Tell me what's wrong." She was concerned now.

Tony flopped onto the couch in the living room. Pepper followed and stood in front of him, her arms crossed around her chest.

"Tony." She said sternly.

Tony looked away before opening up to his assistant and friend.

"It's that damn kid." He said without looking at Pepper.

"I thought so." Pepper said gently as she sat next to Tony, "I saw Steve with him after Fury left. He didn't look happy either."

"We fought about Peter, and he didn't come home last night. His dinner's still in the fridge."

Pepper put her hand on Tony's leg and smiled.

"You want it?" Tony tried to change the topic; it didn't work.

Pepper was unfazed, "What did you fight about?"

"Steve wants to have kids, and he suggested that Peter live with us in the penthouse. But he knows I'm not capable of raising kids. You know that, right?"

Pepper nodded, "Have you tried talking to him?"

"Yeah, but it always ends up in an argument."

"Have you tried listening?"

Tony looked offended, "Me? Listen? You're kidding right?"

"Come on Tony. This is your husband, not some business venture."

Tony stood up and tried to walk away; he didn't want to listen to her lecture him.

Pepper was desperate; she needed to get her point across, and fast.

"Tony!" She raised her voice, "Stop being selfish! Steve has done so much to make you happy. Do something for _him_ now."

Tony walked into his room without turning back. He couldn't believe that she had turned on him.

He sat at the edge of his bed and quietly hoped that Pepper would leave.

There was a soft knock on the door; Tony kept his mouth shut.

"I'm sorry Tony," Pepper said softly, "I didn't mean to yell."

"Go home Pepper." Tony called through the closed door.

"I will. Just fix this, please." She paused, "Think about Peter."

Tony didn't bother replying. For a few seconds, it was quiet. Then Tony heard Peppers heels click on the floor.

"Let me know when she's gone." Tony asked JARVIS.

He lay down on his bed and waited until JARVIS spoke.

 _"Ms. Potts has left the tower, sir."_

Tony got up from his bed and walked out into his living room. The room was empty and quiet, and the morning light was shining through the large glass panes.

"Think about Peter." Tony thought to himself; Pepper's words were seared into his brain.

He grabbed his unfinished drink from the coffee table, where Pepper left it, and he drank the whole drink at once; he winced as he felt the alcohol burn down his throat; it had been awhile since he drank this early in the day.

He wanted more.

So he walked over to his bar and pulled out a half-full bottle of whiskey from the cabinet under the counter. He threw his empty glass behind him; it shattered, but he didn't care. He just drank straight from the bottle.

Tony backed into the wall behind him and slid down until he was sitting on the floor; he took another sip.

" _Have you tried talking?"_

He took another sip.

" _Have you tried listening?"_

Another sip.

" _This is your husband… Not some business venture."_

He started taking gulps now _._

" _Stop being selfish!"_

Another gulp.

" _Do something for him now."_

Tony took one last gulp; he had emptied the bottle. When he realized that there was no more of his drink left, he got up from the floor and grabbed another.

"I'll do something for him." Tony said to himself as he stumbled down the hallway towards the elevator.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave reviews and let me know what you guys think!**

 **I also want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! I wish you all the best for 2016.**

 **Also! I apologize if these chapters (3 and 4) were posted after Dec 31 for some of you. I know there are some readers who live in different time zones and I totally forgot about that until now.**

 **I hope to have another chapter very soon! Gotta start writing...**

 **-B**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys!** **So this chapter took longer to write/upload than I would have liked. School started for me again so I haven't had much time to write and edit and I really hope that school doesn't affect my writing too much. I will keep you updated.**

 **Also, this chapter features a lot of Steve/Pepper bonding time and I had fun writing it. I realize that Pepper kind of became a kind of _mediator_ between Steve and Tony, and I actually kind of like that dynamic between the three of them. I hope you guys do to.**

 **Finally, I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 5**

 _"Good morning, Mr. Rogers. It is currently 8:30 am."_

"Good morning." Steve replied with a tired voice as he slowly got out of his bed and walked over to check on Peter.

Steve smiled as he saw that the baby boy was still fast asleep in his crib and was snoring very softly.

"JARVIS, I'm gonna take a shower." Steve said quietly, "Let me know if Peter wakes up."

 _"Of course, sir."_ JARVIS' response was at a lower volume than usual.

Steve walked out of the bedroom and gently closed the door behind him in an attempt to make as little noise as possible. He walked to the nearest bathroom and reached for the doorknob.

It was locked.

"Sorry!" Bruce called from inside, "I'll be out in a sec."

"Take your time!" Steve replied through the closed door. He leaned against the wall behind him and rested his head.

The door swung open; some humid air flowed out.

"Cap." Bruce nodded as he stepped out; his wet hair a mess, "Did Peter let you sleep last night?"

"He did!" Steve chuckled, "Surprisingly."

"That's good." Bruce said with a smile as he let Steve into the bathroom and walked away.

Steve put his white towel on the bathroom counter, got undressed and entered the shower. It didn't feel right to him; taking a shower in a bathroom that wasn't in the penthouse. He waited for some form of an interruption that would ruin his _private time_.

Usually, Tony would barge in through the bathroom door. Steve didn't mind it though. After living with a _genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist_ for some time, he got used to mornings with Tony and he secretly enjoyed them.

But this morning was different.

Without his husband's interruptions, Steve's shower was shorter than usual. He turned the tap off, dried himself and tied the towel around his waist.

He walked over to the sink and wiped the foggy mirror with his bare hand.

Steve looked at himself; making eye-contact with his reflection. He remembered that a few days ago, Tony was behind him; hugging his muscular body. Steve wished he could go back to that. He loved Tony, but was still mad at him.

Steve was torn.

 _"_ _Captain, Peter has awoken."_ JARVIS' voice snapped Steve out of his daydream.

Steve picked his clothes off the bathroom floor and quickly walked to the room Peter was in; he could hear the infant crying as he opened the door.

"It's okay Peter," Steve said gently as he pulled the crying baby to his bare chest, "I got you."

Peter's crying slowly died to a whimper.

Steve gently rocked the baby in his arms until he stopped crying and kissed him on the forehead.

"Hey buddy." Steve said with a smile.

Peter just looked up at him; making a soft _ooh_ sound.

Steve slowly placed him back in the crib, "I'll be right back! Just gonna change."

"Geez." Steve mumbled to himself as he realized that he didn't bring a new set of clothes to change into from the penthouse, "Guess these will do."

He pulled the jeans and shirt he wore the night before back on, picked Peter up from the crib, and walked out the door.

"Morning Steve!" Carol called from her seat at the island counter as she saw the super-soldier walk into the kitchen with the baby in his arms, "Good morning Peter!"

"Morning Carol." Steve said with a warm smile.

"Hello." Bruce said as he took Peter out of Steve's arms.

"What movie did you guys watch?" Steve asked the pair.

"We didn't watch a movie, Bruce and Nat kept arguing about what to watch." Carol took a sip of her coffee, "I just went to my room."

Bruce was too busy making faces with Peter to comment.

Steve just nodded with a smile, and prepared some baby formula for Peter.

"Morning Nat!" Carol said cheerfully; causing Steve to look up.

Natasha grunted a response as she poured herself a cup of coffee, "How are you so happy this early?"

Steve chuckled as he handed the bottle of formula to Bruce; he fed Peter while Steve went and prepared an omelet.

"Any plans for today?" Bruce asked the team.

"I think I might call Jess. Maybe go out or something." Carol replied as she left the kitchen and headed for the couch.

"I got nothing," Natasha said while she walked back to her room.

"I think I might take Peter out for a bit." Steve said as he looked up from the stove, "He's been inside for two days, he needs some fresh air."

"Good idea." Bruce said, "You gotta buy a stroller though. You can't walk around town with a baby in your arms."

"Right." Steve agreed as he continued his cooking, "I'll buy one when I head out."

oooOOOooo

Pepper sighed as she walked away from Tony's room and towards the elevator, her clicking heels echoed in the large living room. She stopped in front of the closed doors and waited for them to open; she wasn't used to the penthouse being so quiet.

The doors opened and she walked in.

"Lobby, please" Pepper said out loud as she scrolled through emails on her phone.

Automatically, the elevator smoothly slid down towards the ground floor, but stopped on one of the shared Avengers' floor.

The doors opened, but Pepper didn't bother looking up.

"Morning Pepper." A strong voice greeted her, "Wasn't expecting to see you here."

It was Steve, wearing a shirt he borrowed from Bruce, holding Peter in his carrier.

"Oh," Pepper was a little surprised, "Hey Steve. Where are you headed?"

"Lobby." Steve said as he looked at the ceiling.

The elevator continued its trip down.

"I'm taking Peter out for a bit." Steve was now looking at Pepper, "He needs some fresh air. Would you happen to know where I could buy a stroller?"

"You know…" Pepper replied, "I don't. But I can check."

She quickly typed on her phone and found a location.

"I found a place." The redhead looked up, "It's a few blocks away. Happy can give you a ride though."

"Alright," Steve smiled, "Thanks."

The elevator doors opened and the two walked out into the lobby where Happy was waiting.

"Where're we going next?" The chauffeur asked.

"I sent you the address. Captain Rogers and Peter will be coming with us."

Happy looked down at his phone, "Not too far!"

The group walked out of the tower; the sky was clear, the sun was shining and a cool breeze was blowing.

Happy opened the back door of the car and helped Steve strap Peter and his carrier into the middle seat of the vehicle; Pepper and Steve sat on either side of the baby.

Steve put his pinky finger in Peter's fist as the car pulled out from the side of the road and drove down Park Avenue.

"How are things with Tony?" Pepper asked as the car drove through the city.

"Okay," Steve was looking out the window, "I guess."

Pepper decided not to force an answer out of her friend; it was too soon, so she changed the topic, "Are you going to take Peter to Central Park? It's a beautiful day."

"I think I might." Steve turned to face her, "Care to join us?"

"I'd love to."

oooOOOooo

" _Babies R' Us_?" Steve was very confused about the name.

"Yeah, this and Toys R Us are the go-to places for kids' things." Pepper tried to fill him in with as much information as possible, "It was founded in '48, so you wouldn't remember."

Steve just nodded as he and Pepper walked through the sliding doors, with Peter still in his carrier.

They walked through the large store searching for strollers.

"Can I help you?" A young woman asked the two, who were both very lost.

"Yes," Steve spoke up, "we're looking for a stroller for this little guy." He gently lifted the carrier to show off the baby.

"Strollers are just that way." The woman pointed them in the right direction with a smile.

"Thank you, miss." Pepper said as she and Steve walked towards the right section.

After passing a few aisles of toys and clothes, the pair finally found what they were looking for: the aisle of strollers.

"Here we go." Steve said as he looked at the options in front of him, "How do we know which one to buy?"

"Well," Pepper pointed at a stroller on display, "how 'bout this one?"

Steve looked at it, and shook his head, "We need one that we can attach the carrier to, something that will last until Peter can walk on his own."

He didn't realize it, but Steve was already planning ahead for Peter's future, a little _too_ far ahead. Pepper, however, noticed but decided not to comment. She didn't want to ruin Steve's fun.

"Right," Pepper walked down the aisle, "This one!"

She pointed at a different stroller; one that met Steve's requirements.

Steve shook his head.

" _This_ one!" Steve exclaimed as he saw the stroller he wanted.

It was perfect. It was a stroller that would last with Peter; it had a proper seat for when he grew up into a toddler and was compatible with the carrier that SHIELD provided.

"Why this one?" Pepper asked, "It's almost the same as the one earlier. It's just…"

Pepper stopped herself when she realized why Steve chose the stroller, it was red and blue; for Iron Man and Captain America.

"I'll take it!" Steve said with a smile as he handed the carrier holding Peter to Pepper and took a box down from the shelf.

"It's more expensive though." Steve frowned a bit.

"Money isn't an issue." Pepper reached for her purse and pulled out a card, "Courtesy of Tony Stark."

She paid for the stroller using company money.

oooOOOooo

Steve, Peter and Pepper were now in Central Park. Happy had dropped them off after lunch and headed home when Steve insisted that they were okay with getting home on their own.

The two adults were walking down a trail of the grand park, enjoying the sun and pushing little Peter in his new stroller. Some birds flew by and a soft breeze ruffled Steve's hair.

"How's Peter adjusting to the tower?" Pepper finally asked as they walked past The Pond.

"He's doing okay with us." Steve replied, "I mean, he's sleeping and eating. So that's good, I guess."

"And the others are being good around him?"

"Yeah!" Steve smiled slightly, "They are! And they've been very helpful too. Nat changed him last night and Bruce and Carol are so great with him too."

"What about Tony?"

Pepper knew what she was asking. Tony told her that he was against having Peter live in the tower, but she wanted to understand the other side of the story.

Steve's smile faded; he didn't reply.

"Steve?"

"He hasn't really been there." Steve finally spoke.

"What do you mean?" Pepper tried to get her friend to open up to her more.

"Well, I kinda didn't go home last night." Steve answered, "We got into a fight after Fury had that meeting with us and Tony really didn't want Peter near the penthouse."

The two continued their stroll. Some laughing children ran by; distracting Steve for a second.

He continued, "So I took Peter down to one of the open rooms downstairs, and spent the night with Nat and Carol. I haven't spoken to Tony since yesterday night, when I told him I wasn't going home."

Pepper nodded as she listened to her upset friend continue his rant. It was so much easier talking to Steve than to Tony. There was no sarcasm, no jokes, no yelling. It was only honesty; a trait that Steve truly embodied.

"I spoke to Tony this morning." Pepper finally confessed, "That's why I was in the tower."

She put her hand on Steve's shoulder, "He's just as upset as you are."

Steve sighed then looked at Peter who had fallen asleep in the stroller.

"I just want what's best for Peter." Steve broke his silence, "You know?"

The two sat down on a bench with the stroller in front of them.

"I know. I'm sure Tony does too." Pepper responded, "He just shows it in a different way."

"Doesn't feel like it." Steve brushed his hair with his hand, "It's like he hates Peter."

"He doesn't hate him." Pepper reassured Steve, "He just… He's just stubborn. And having Peter in the tower is a big change, especially after living with _just_ you for a while."

Steve nodded, Pepper was right.

"I just want to go home…" Steve sighed.

Pepper's phone beeped in her purse.

"Excuse me."

Steve watched as Pepper got up from the bench and walked a few feet away to distance herself from him. She picked up her phone and spoke; Steve couldn't read her lips.

A few minutes passed before Pepper walked back to Steve, who was gently pushing the stroller back and forth in front of him.

"I'm sorry," Pepper said, "I got a call and I need to go. Happy's on his way to pick me up."

Steve looked up, "It's alright. Go do what you gotta do."

Pepper smiled.

"Will you be okay with getting home?"

"Yeah," Steve replied, "The sun's still out, and the tower is only a few blocks away. I don't mind walking."

Pepper nodded as she turned towards the street, "You sure?"

"I'm sure." Steve chuckled.

"Bye Cap!" She turned back as she was walking away.

Steve waved with a smile.

When Pepper was out of sight, Steve leaned back into the bench and thought about what Pepper had said to him. Tony really was _stubborn_ , Pepper would know. But Steve was still struggling to wrap his head around the idea that Tony cared about Peter too.

Then Steve remembered how Tony's father wasn't there when he was growing up either, how Howard pushed a young Tony away while he focused on running his business.

Steve looked at the sleeping baby in front of him.

He realized that pushing away people was how Tony was raised.

Steve checked the time; it was 5:43 pm.

"Let's get you home." He whispered to Peter as he got up from the park bench and headed back to the tower.

* * *

 **And there you have it! Chapter 5.**

 **I hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it! I apologize that there is now Tony in this one, I really wanted to have him in it, but he didn't really fit anywhere in the story of this chapter.**

 **I plan on uploading chapter 6 soon, hopefully by the end of the week. I've started writing it out but it needs a lot of cleaning and organizing.**

 **Thanks for reading! And leave reviews! Let me know what you guys think and I am open to suggestions, so feel free to share.**

 **-B**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everybody! So sorry this chapter took awhile to come out. I had to deal with my first case of _writer's block_ and it was such a struggle to overcome. Anyways, this chapter is one of the longer chapters I've written so far (I think) but I'm gonna be honest, I'm not super happy with how I wrote it. I hope you guys like it though, and let me know what you think! **

**As always, I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 6**

Pepper anxiously tapped a finger on the side of her phone as she waited for the elevator to reach the lab of the Avengers' Tower. She was at Central Park spending time with Steve and Peter when Tony called her.

The doors opened.

"There you are! Took you long enough." Tony called with his back to the door; a blue light shining from the holographic screen in front of him.

"Look Tony," Pepper stood still in front of the elevator, "if this is about this morning, I'm sorry. I didn't mean t-"

"Shut up." Tony interrupted her apology without looking, then gestured for her to come closer.

"What is…?" Pepper stopped asking when she saw what Tony was working on.

On the blue screen was a render of an updated Captain America suit; Tony swiped to the left to rotate the image.

"How does it look?" He asked.

"It looks amazing." Pepper was astonished at what she was seeing on the screen, "But why does it look so bulky?"

"JARVIS?" Tony asked his AI helper to explain.

 _"The suit has been designed with chest, shoulder, and dorsal plates to protect Captain Rogers in case of conflict."_ JARVIS spoke as the armour pieces glowed in the screen, _"These plates are composed of a titanium-nickel alloy that has been mixed with vibranium to reduce impact damage."_

"Same stuff my suit's made of." Tony interrupted with a grin.

"And the rest of the suit?" Pepper crossed her arms.

 _"Captain Rogers' arms and legs are protected by an organic and synthetic combination, a kevlar-vibranium weave. It is durable, lightweight and flexible."_

Pepper raised her eyebrows and nodded her approval.

"His gloves and boots are still leather," Tony added, "couldn't really add much else to them."

"Right." Pepper reached out to rotate the projection again, "Anything else?"

 _"Mr. Stark has added electromagnetic ports on the shoulders and forearms to secure the shield to Captain Rogers' body. In addition, Captain Rogers' visor has been upgraded digitally and now has the same user interface as the Iron Man suits."_

"He's got enhanced hearing and vision in the suit." Tony continued, "His suit can do almost everything mine can. Minus the repulsor beams and flying, of course."

"And JARVIS will be in his suit too?"

"You bet!" Tony was like a kid in a candy shop, "JARVIS will monitor his movements, vitals, comms... everything he does for me."

Pepper zoomed in on the chest piece of the new design, "What's this?"

She was pointing at the classic white star on the suit's chest, it was glowing.

"That, my dear, is the suit's arc reactor." Tony put his hand around Pepper's shoulders, "It's what powers the whole thing."

Pepper looked at him. She remembered what happened to her boss when the palladium core of his arc reactor began to deteriorate; Tony almost died.

"Don't worry!" Tony could feel concern radiating off of her, "It's safe! His reactor has a vibranium core, so it should be stable."

"It better be." Pepper brushed Tony's arm off and sat down at the lab bench nearby; she could smell alcohol in his breath.

Tony continued typing away; making modifications to his _almost_ perfect suit.

"I have to say," Pepper watched as Tony worked, "I'm impressed."

"Of course you are." Tony smirked, "I designed it! It's the perfect apology."

Tony laughed.

" _This_ is your apology?" Pepper sounded slightly disappointed.

"Too much?" Tony looked up at her then nervously looked back at his blueprints, "It's too much. Steve was never into flashy things."

" _Too much?_ Really Tony?" Pepper's arms were crossed again; she was annoyed.

"What?"

"Oh my God!" Pepper scoffed, "Do you even _know_ why Steve is mad at you?"

"Uh, yeah!" Tony rolled his eyes as he continued typing.

Pepper was getting frustrated with him again.

"Just let him bring Peter home with him!" The words burst out of Pepper's mouth, "Don't you miss him? 'Cus he really misses you."

Tony was taken aback by Pepper's comments.

"I mean, he's just a baby. What's the worst that can happen?" Pepper stood up and walked over to Tony, "This _fight_ is affecting everyone in the tower, and it's affecting you and your company!"

"Don't you think I already know that?" Tony snapped and turned to face Pepper, "Why else would I be making this damn suit?"

"Come on Tony," Pepper raised her voice, "Do you really think _that_ suit is gonna make this all better? Steve has been taking care of that child since he first got here, and he's been doing it without _you_! Don't you feel bad? He's your husband for God's sake!"

Much to Pepper's surprise, Tony was quiet.

"Guess not." Pepper shook her head in disappointment.

For the first time in a while, Tony was speechless. He didn't know how to respond to his assistant; no joke, no snarky comment, nothing. Pepper's words had an affect on him and all he could think about now was Steve and Peter.

Tony watched as Pepper walked into the elevator; he was still silent.

"Lobby." Pepper said monotonously as she made eye-contact with her boss.

The doors slid closed and Pepper was gone.

"JARVIS," Tony broke his silence as he sat down at the bench, "I think the suit is ready."

 _"Initializing production."_

A loading bar appeared in place of the render of the suit on the screen.

"I need a drink." Tony said to himself out loud, "Tell me when it's finished."

He walked into the elevator and went back up to the penthouse.

oooOOOooo

It was almost seven when Steve and Peter finally made it back to the tower. He had stopped to buy some dinner on his way home, and Peter had woken up while the two of them were at the restaurant.

"Welcome back!" It was Clint who had gotten back from his farm that afternoon.

"Hey Clint," Steve said as he pushed his new stroller into the living room, "How's Laura?"

"She's great!" Clint was smiling, "How's the little guy?"

Clint walked over to the stroller to look at Peter.

"He's good." Steve unbuckled the baby, "I think he's getting used to living with superheroes now."

Clint chuckled as he reached for Peter, "May I?"

Steve nodded.

"It's been awhile since I've held a baby." Clint picked Peter up, "Kids grow up so fast. Enjoy it while you can!"

Steve smiled as he sat down on the couch and turned on the TV to watch the seven o'clock news.

"So Cap," Clint looked over to Steve, "What are you doing here? If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh," Steve replied, "The others didn't tell you?"

"Well when I got back, no one was home." Clint repositioned Peter so he was facing Steve too, "So no. No one told me anything."

Steve lowered the volume of the TV.

"Uh… Long story short," Steve scratched his head, "Peter and I have been sleeping here for the past two nights. Tony's been a pain since the little guy arrived."

"I see." Clint didn't want to hear anymore, so he ended the conversation there, "Explains the purple shirt."

Steve chuckled as he remembered he was still wearing Bruce's shirt, then turned the volume of the TV up again and continued watching his program.

oooOOOooo

Tony was sitting on the floor of the penthouse living room, his back was against the wall and he had an empty bottle of alcohol in his hands.

"JARVIS." Tony slurred, "How much longer?"

 _"I estimate that the suit will be completed at approximately 8:30 am."_

"How long will that take?" Tony tried to stand up.

 _"Ten hours, sir."_

"Can't you go any faster?" He was standing, but had to use the bar counter to keep himself from falling.

 _"_ _Sir, this is the fastest my programming allows._ **"** JARVIS paused, _"Perhaps you should sit down."_

"Don't tell me what to do." Tony stumbled as he walked towards his bedroom, "Where is Steve right now?"

 _"Captain Rogers is in the Avengers' common room. It appears he is preparing to go to bed."_

Tony smiled; he had updated JARVIS' _common sense modifications_ and the update seemed to have worked.

He flopped onto the large bed and looked up at the ceiling; it was spinning above him.

"How much longer JARVIS?"

 _"Sir, it has only been three minutes since you last asked."_

"Since when were you so sassy?" Tony giggled.

 _"Well, you did program me, sir."_

"JARVIS... buddy," Tony mumbled.

 _"Are you alright, Mr. Stark? Shall I call Mr. Rogers?"_

"Don't you dare!" Tony snapped back to it, "You can't ruin the surprise!"

 _"Of course, sir. What was I thinking?"_ JARVIS' voice was laced with sarcasm.

Tony stopped responding. He was dizzy from the alcohol and wanted to sleep, but he also wanted to wait for the suit.

"Maybe a few minutes." Tony thought to himself as he crawled backwards and rested his head on the pillow.

The dark bedroom began to melt away as Tony closed his eyes.

oooOOOooo

 _"Good morning, Mr. Rogers. It is currently 8:30 am"_

Steve was awoken by his usual alarm, "Thanks JARVIS."

He got out of bed, slid his jeans on, and went to the crib to find that Peter was already awake.

"Hey buddy! You're awake before me this time!" Steve said as he carried the baby out of the crib, "Let's get you some breakfast."

Steve walked to the kitchen with Peter and prepared a bottle of formula with the baby in one arm.

"He's up early!" A voice called.

Steve turned around to see who was behind him. It was Clint; fresh from the shower.

"Yeah," Steve said as he turned back to pick up Peter's bottle, "he was up before me. And he didn't make a sound."

"He can sense when you're asleep." Clint joked around with his friend.

"I gotta take a shower." Steve quickly changed the topic, "Do you mind taking care of Peter for a bit?"

"Sure!" Clint said as he reached for the infant and bottle of formula, "Come to Uncle Clint!"

Steve smiled then walked into the bedroom he slept in.

"Right." Steve said as he grabbed the shirt he borrowed from Bruce.

Steve had been wearing the same clothes for almost three days and needed to get some his own clothes from the penthouse. He felt bad having to ask Bruce to borrow a shirt and his jeans were starting to feel dirty; he really needed to go upstairs.

"I'll be right back!" Steve said to Clint in the living room as he walked into the elevator shirtless.

The doors closed before Clint could respond.

"Good luck." He said under his breath.

oooOOOooo

 _"The suit is complete, sir."_

JARVIS' voice woke Tony up from his deep sleep.

"Close the shades." Tony squinted as he sat up in his bed; his brain was pounding in his skull, "What time is it?"

 _"8:57 am, sir."_

"You're late." Tony grunted as he crawled out of bed, he was still in his jeans and white sleeveless top from the day before.

 _"8:30 was an approximation, sir."_ JARVIS responded.

"Yeah." Tony grumbled as he walked out the door, "Whatever."

Tony wasn't thinking straight as he walked towards the elevator. His head was killing him, but he was excited to see the suit that was waiting for him in the lab.

"Good thing the lights are off." He said to himself quietly as he passed the bar.

He took a step and felt something cold and smooth under his foot. Then in seconds, he was flat on the ground.

"What the hell?" He asked as he checked what he had tripped on; it was an empty wine bottle.

He tried to get up.

"Tony?" A concerned voice came from the elevator, "Are you alright?"

Tony looked up into the bright blue eyes that were coming down to help him up.

It was Steve.

* * *

 ***Insert dramatic musical outro***

 **Cap and Tony are finally in the same room again! Things are gonna get exciting (I hope). As I said earlier, I wasn't super happy with this one, but hopefully you disagree with me. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter and feel free to leave suggestions on how the story should go from here. I'm kinda stuck with coming up with new storylines. Help!**

 **Thanks again for reading! I hope to have chapter 7 out soon (unless school gets in the way).**

 **-B**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! Chapter 7 is here, it took less than a week to finish, which is good! And I have to say, I am very happy with how this chapter turned out. Steve and Tony are finally in the same room after 5 chapters and I had so much fun writing. I really hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I did!**

 **I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 7**

"Tony? Are you alright?"

Tony was surprised to see that his shirtless husband was coming down to help him up.

"I'm fine." Tony grunted as he pulled himself up using Steve's broad shoulders, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Steve pulled his hands back to his body when he noticed that Tony was still a little grumpy, "I needed clothes and I thought you were in the lab. Wasn't planning on bumping into you, sorry."

He turned to avoid eye contact with his husband.

"I'll just grab my things and be out of your hair."

Tony let Steve walk by him and continued walking to the elevator.

"Steve?" Tony turned around just before the doors.

"Yeah?" A voice called out from the open bedroom door.

"Just grab a shirt. I have something to show you."

There was a moment of silence, and Tony began to regret saying anything.

"Okay." Steve said as he walked out of the bedroom, pulling on a fresh t-shirt.

Tony couldn't help but stare at the perfect body walking towards him as he waited in front of the lift. Although he didn't admit it to Pepper, he really did miss Steve.

The couple silently walked into the elevator together but kept a little distance between themselves.

"Lab." Tony commanded as he leaned back against the wall behind him.

The tension in the elevator was killing Steve; he wanted to say something to Tony but didn't know how he would react. He looked to his side at Tony but kept his mouth shut to avoid making the situation more uncomfortable than it already was.

Tony noticed Steve look at him but turned away; he couldn't look into the blue eyes in front of him. For the first time, Tony felt ashamed of what he had done to his husband and didn't want to hurt him anymore.

The doors slid open and a fluorescent white light from the lab poured into the elevator.

"JARVIS," Tony called, shielding his eyes as he stepped into his workspace; a blue holographic screen appeared instantly, "dim the lights would you?"

The lights dimmed automatically. The lab was a mess, metal parts were scattered around the room and the once white floors were still covered in ash from Tony's Mark V suit.

Steve looked down at the soot as he stood next to Tony.

"Don't mind the mess," Tony commented when he noticed Steve look of disapproval, "I didn't get a chance to clean up yet."

"Of course you haven't." Steve said under his breath with a slight smile, he didn't expect that much from his husband.

Tony didn't hear him; he was too occupied with his typing.

"What did you want to show me?" Steve asked as he crossed his arms.

"Give me a sec." Tony kept his eyes on the screen, "Have a seat."

Steve turned around and walked over to the dirty lab bench; he wiped it with a rag he found on the floor and sat down.

He leaned back and watched as his husband continued pressing buttons on the hovering screen; Steve didn't know what any of them did. Tony looked so focused, his eyebrows were furrowed which made his forehead wrinkle. "What are you doing?" Steve thought to himself as he stared at his husband; Tony's muscles flexed and relaxed as he bent his arms to reach for the screen.

Tony could feel Steve's gaze burning into his skin; it made him feel exhilarated. The thought of having his husband look at him after days of no contact made him want more. He missed Steve's touch, and he really wanted his apology to work.

"Okay JARVIS," Tony turned to face Steve, "everything ready?"

Steve raised an eyebrow; he was curious about what was going to happen next.

 _"Of course, sir."_ The AI responded, _"Your project is in the armoury."_

Tony walked over to his husband, held both his hands and pulled him up from his seat.

"Tony?" Steve was getting nervous now, "What are you doing?"

Tony's lips curled to form a smile, "You'll see."

He led Steve into the armoury which had a connecting door to the lab; the lights were off, but the spotlights shining on each of the Iron Man suits made it bright enough to for the couple to see. At the far end of the long room was another spotlight shining on a suit that was covered in a gray tarp.

Tony was now walking beside Steve with one of his hands around his waist; gently pushing him further into the room.

"Tony?" Steve asked nervously.

"Just shut up." Tony said without thinking, "We're almost there."

The couple continued walking until they were a few feet from the suit.

"Steve." Tony stopped his husband and stood between him and the covered suit, "This is what I wanted to show you."

He turned around and quickly pulled the tarp off and revealed the new Captain America armour, the single light from the ceiling reflected off the silver shoulder plates and the star-shaped arc reactor was glowing.

Steve was speechless and he could feel his mouth open slightly. He stepped closer to the suit and reached out to touch it, but stopped and looked at a smiling Tony.

"Go ahead." Tony nodded, "It's all yours babe."

The super-soldier placed his hand on the arc reactor; he could feel warmth radiating off of it and its low hum made his palm tingle.

"Wha-..." Steve stammered, "Why?"

He wasn't expecting anything like this since he moved into the Avengers' floor.

"I've been working on it for some time now." Tony walked closer to Steve, "I had the designs pretty much done, then Peter showed up. I wanted it finished earlier, as a surprise, but _things_ happened."

Steve pulled his hand back from the suit and turned fully to look at his husband.

"I know I've been a real shit-head recently, Steve."

" _Tony_." Steve frowned a bit.

"Sorry," Tony scratched the back of his neck, "I know I've been a pain the past few days, and I haven't really been there for you since Peter got here."

Tony held one of Steve's hands.

"I get that you're mad at me." Tony tried to form a proper apology, "Still don't fully get why you are though."

He wasn't the best at them; Steve just smiled.

"I'm sorry." Tony finally blurted, "It took a while for me to realize how much of an ass I've been, you can thank Pepper for that. But you deserve so much more than this… thing."

Tony gestured to himself.

Steve looked back to the suit beside him but remained silent; he tried to formulate what to say in his head, but hearing Tony apologize made thinking a struggle.

"Please Steve." Tony was unwilling to wait for a response, "Talk to me. I'm pretty much begging here, and I never beg. You know tha-"

The inventor was interrupted when Steve's lips crashed onto his. Tony slowly closed his shocked eyes as he melted into the big arms of his husband.

Steve pulled back and looked at Tony; his eyes were still closed.

"Come home?" Tony said when he opened his eyes, "I'll let you bring Peter."

The super-soldier pulled him back in for another kiss; a deeper one. Tony softly moaned at the intensity of the second kiss. He wrapped his arms around Steve's neck and gently tugged on his blonde hair, as he felt Steve's hands pull his waist up and closer to his own.

They both missed the feeling of holding each other, the days they were apart felt like lifetimes at a galaxy's distance. They were glad to be in each other's arms again.

Tony pulled away first this time, "So is that a yes?"

Steve grinned as he took his husband's hand and led him back to the elevator.

oooOOOooo

Tony was brushing his teeth in the private bathroom of the penthouse, the humid air from the hot shower that Steve was taking made the mirror fog a bit. He proceeded to spit the foam out of his mouth when he heard the glass shower door slide against its metal frame.

He straightened himself and looked into the mirror; into the reflection of a naked Steve getting out of the shower.

Steve made eye-contact with Tony's reflection and watched as his husband quickly looked down; he chuckled as he reached for a towel.

"What?" Tony asked; still not looking at Steve.

"Nothing." Steve wrapped his hands around Tony's waist and kissed the side of his neck, "I missed you."

Tony leaned his head back into the kiss, "I missed you too… so much."

The two of them were talking to each other through their reflection in the foggy mirror; both of them were smiling.

"I'm sorry." Steve said gently as he rested his chin on Tony's shoulder.

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't mean to put you in this position." Steve turned his head to look at Tony's real face, "I just… My focus was on Peter, when I should've been thinking about you. About us."

Tony turned his head and was now looking at Steve; he flashed a warm smile and gave his husband a quick kiss, "What do you want for breakfast?" Tony changed the topic.

"Surprise me." Steve released his husband to get dressed.

"Sure!" Tony grinned as he walked out the door and into the kitchen.

oooOOOooo

The living area of the penthouse was filled with the aroma of frying bacon when Steve walked out of the bedroom in a fresh set of clothes.

"Mmmm," he exclaimed, "smells good!"

Steve walked into the kitchen and saw that Tony was only frying the bacon and nothing else.

"Mind cooking some eggs?" Tony asked when he heard Steve's voice, "You make 'em better than me."

Steve smiled as he opened the fridge and pulled out the tray of eggs and began preparing an omelet.

"JARVIS." Tony called out, "I think we need some music!"

AC/DC's _Back in Black_ began blaring through the kitchen.

"Something from Cap's playlist please?" Tony smiled at Steve.

 _"Of course, sir. My apologies."_

Classic jazz began to play, and Steve couldn't help but tap his feet and nod his head to the rhythm.

"Thanks." He mouthed to Tony as he continued his cooking.

The sizzling eggs, smell of bacon and swing music in the penthouse made Steve feel so at home. He didn't have a problem with living with the other Avengers, but being in _his and Tony's_ space made everything feel alright.

Tony and Steve opted to eat across from one another at the breakfast table by the window instead of their usual island counter; they both wanted something different that wasn't too far from the norm.

"So I've been thinking about what you said a while ago." Tony said as he shoved a strip of bacon into his mouth.

"What did I say?" Steve politely covered his full mouth when he spoke.

"That we should downsize the gym for a nursery for Peter."

Steve couldn't hide his smile behind his hand; he couldn't believe that Tony actually said that.

"Yeah?" the super-soldier nodded, "What do you plan on doing?"

"Well I was thinking that it'd probably be better for Peter to sleep in our room."

Steve's face lit up even more.

"He won't be staying too long, right?" Tony continued, "It'd be a waste of time to reconfigure the whole penthouse." He took a bite out of his omelet.

Steve's smile slowly faded; he was disappointed, but having Peter in the penthouse was better than nothing.

"Okay." Steve replied, "Sure. I don't mind having him in the room."

"Good." Tony nodded, "Didn't want to have to reprogram everything again."

Tony looked out the window, he remembered how hard it was to repair the tower after Loki's attack on New York City; he didn't want to do anything related to renovation or construction again.

"Where is he anyways?" Tony looked to face his husband.

"He's with Clint, downstairs." Steve replied, "I left him there when I came up. I should probably go check on him."

Steve pushed his chair back to get up from the table. He stopped when Tony reached out for his hand.

"Stay." Tony looked up at his blue eyes, "Please? We haven't had breakfast like this in a while. Or any other meals, actually."

Steve smiled then sat back down.

"He's got kids!" Tony leaned back in his chair, "You've got nothing to worry about."

"I guess." Steve said quietly as he continued eating his breakfast.

Tony sighed.

"What's wrong?" Steve looked up at his husband who was staring into his eyes.

"Nothing." Tony shook his head, "I was just admiring my perfect husband."

Steve blushed a bit when he realized that Tony was flirting.

 _"Excuse me, sir. But Maria Hill is on the line."_ JARVIS' voice interrupted.

"God JARVIS!" Tony barked; making Steve smile, "Way to kill the moment. Put her on hold."

 _"She is being very persistent, and would like to speak to you immediately, sir."_

" _Hold._ " Tony commanded.

"It's fine Tony." Steve reassured his husband, "I was gonna get Peter anyways."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Hill can wait."

 _"My security protocols are being overridden."_

Suddenly, the jazz music stopped playing and a screen flashed onto the window next to the breakfast table. It was Maria Hill.

"Mr. Stark." Hill's voice demanded attention; and she received it, "Captain."

* * *

 **There you go! Steve and Tony made up, and are now living together again. I've already started writing out the next chapter and I've come up with how I want to take this story. Hopefully I can get it out soon!**

 **Thanks so much for reading! Until next time,**

 **-B**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter took awhile, but I had real bad writers' block again and took some time to overcome. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one because some stuff that I've never really written before happens n this chapter (so that's exciting), but I'm not too happy about how some of the dialogue and the ending turned out. But hopefully you all like it better than I did!**

 **I HAVE TO SAY THIS NOW: There is some man on man _romancing_ in the later part of this chapter. So if that kind of thing offends you, do not read!**

 **And finally, I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 8**

"Mr. Stark, Captain." Maria Hill's serious voice filled the silent void.

The playful banter instantly stopped as Steve stood and faced the screen.

"Damnit JARVIS." Tony grumbled under his breath.

"Ma'am, what can we do for you?" Steve asked politely before Tony could speak, "Any news about the attack?"

"Sorry Captain, we haven't found anything yet." Hill said stoically, "Director Fury asked me to check on Peter. How is he?"

Steve opened his mouth to respond.

"He's doing great!" Tony jumped in, "Right, Steve?"

Steve smiled as he shook his head, "Peter's doing just fine."

"Glad to hear it." The stern woman cracked a slight smile, "Where is he?"

Agent Hill was looking for Peter in the room, but didn't see him with the couple.

"Uh…" Tony mumbled, "He's downstairs."

"What is he doing there?" Hill's smile quickly disappeared, "Why isn't he with _you_?"

"It's a long story ma'am." Steve stepped in.

"Steve was actually on his way to get him." Tony interjected, "Then you called."

He made eye-contact with Steve and raised his eyebrows; the implication was to get Peter.

Steve looked at his husband with a confused face; he didn't pick up on Tony's signal at first.

"Right!" Steve finally understood, "Excuse me."

He smiled at his husband and walked to the elevator; Tony watched until the elevator door closed.

"Is there anything else you need, Maria?" Tony asked as he turned to face Hill again.

"Yes." she responded, "Is it safe to assume that you'll be in the tower tomorrow?"

"Two questions." Tony stood up, "What day is it tomorrow? And why?"

"Sunday and I will be there with one of our agents in the afternoon."

"Peter's going home?" Tony asked with an optimistic smile on his face.

"No." Hill snapped, "His aunt is still in the hospital, she hasn't woken up yet."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Of course." He thought to himself.

"Agent Simmons will check on Peter." Hill continued, "Director Fury wants a full update on him."

"Right." Tony said as he started taking some plates to the sink; the screen followed him, "JARVIS, cancel anything we have tomorrow."

"Good."

"Is that all?"

Maria Hill nodded, "I will see you tomorrow then."

"Goodbye." Tony turned the screen off without waiting for Hill to respond; the jazz music resumed playing.

"What'd I miss?" Steve asked his husband as he walked into the kitchen with Peter in his arms.

"SHIELD will be here tomorrow afternoon." Tony said as he put on an apron.

Steve held Peter a little tighter; he was getting nervous. Peter had only been in the tower for a few days, he didn't want him taken away yet; it was too soon.

"Don't worry." Tony could see the worry in Steve's eyes, "His first check-up."

Steve let out a sigh of relief as he began to gently dance with Peter to the music; Peter flashed a toothless smile.

"What do you wanna do today?" Steve danced behind Tony, who was now washing the dishes.

"I was thinking of maybe having you try on your new suit." Tony looked over his shoulder.

"Sure." Steve stood still, "What about Peter?"

"I guess he can come." Tony shrugged as he turned to continue washing, "He's got a crib right?"

"Yeah. It's downstairs though, with his other things."

"I'll get Dum-E to bring 'em up."

oooOOOooo

Tony looked up from his screen when he heard footsteps come out of the armoury; it was Steve.

"How does it look?" Steve asked shyly.

The inventor didn't know what to say as he walked over to his armoured husband; he was stunned at how perfect the suit looked on Steve.

"You look amazing!" Tony exclaimed as he touched the warm reactor on Steve's chest, "Doesn't he Pete?"

The couple looked at Peter who was strapped into his carrier instead of the crib.

"Oh, I know right?" Tony answered himself with a smile, "I am actually so hot for you right now."

He winked.

"Thanks." Steve's cheeks burned red.

"How does it feel?"

"Surprisingly light." Steve waved his arms and jumped on the spot.

Tony stepped back and admired the work he had done.

Perfection. The red, white and blue outfit hugged the muscular body of the super-soldier and stretched in just the right places. The addition of the metal chest-plates added to the wow-factor of the already stunning Steve Rogers as they reflected the fluorescent white lights of the lab.

Tony stepped forward again until he was close enough to touch Steve's chest; the warm light of the star-shaped reactor radiated into his palm, and its blue light had Tony's attention. His eyes slowly made their way up to Steve's sharp jaw line, the mask perfectly showed off his facial features, then he looked directly into his husband's eyes; his hand was still on the reactor.

"You look amazing." Tony repeated quietly, but loud enough for Steve to hear.

Steve kissed him on the lips, "I know."

Tony grinned; he was very distracted.

"So…" Steve broke the silence, "What now?"

"Right." Tony snapped out of his trance, "Turn on your visor."

"How do I do that?"

"Here." Tony reached up for Steve's temple and pressed a button.

" _CAP SUIT Mark I is at full power."_ JARVIS spoke as the visor powered up.

"Woah." Steve flinched when his sight became digitized.

"Relax, Steve." Tony put his hands on his husband's tense shoulders, "It'll take a while to get used to. You'll be fine though."

Steve began to look around the room; digital arrows and words flashed around items he focused on.

"You've got better vision with the visor on, and you've got comms in there too." Tony commented when he realized what Steve was doing, "So no more of those earpieces."

Steve looked at Tony.

"And I've uploaded JARVIS into your suit too. He'll monitor your vitals and do everything he does for me."

Tony sat down next to Peter as he watched Steve walk around the lab.

"This is amazing, Tony." Steve zoomed in on a picture on the other side of the room; it was of him and Tony, "You never cease to amaze me."

Steve then focused on Peter, who was silently sitting in his carrier.

"Where's your shield?" Tony asked.

"There." Steve pointed to the bench beside Peter; he started to walk towards it.

"You can call it." Tony said as he leaned back into his chair.

"JARVIS?" Steve was unsure about what to do.

" _Hold your hand up, sir."_ JARVIS replied, _"It will come to you."_

Steve did as he was told. For a few seconds, nothing happened. But just as Steve was about to give up, the shield flew from the bench and onto his right forearm; a boom from the magnet echoed through the lab.

Tony smiled as he watched Steve hang the shield onto the magnets on his back; a huge grin on his face.

Steve's smile disappeared when he saw little Peter start crying after the echo had faded.

"Can you get him," Steve struggled to take his suit off, "please?"

"You need JARVIS to take it off." Tony commented as he stood up, unbuckled Peter and awkwardly held him away from his chest; tears were streaming down the baby's face.

"That's not how you hold him!" Steve took his mask off.

Tony rolled his eyes as he slowly pulled the crying infant closer.

Peter slowly stopped crying, the warm light from Tony's reactor had calmed him down and he was now resting his head on Tony's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Peter." Steve walked up to the two of them and gently rubbed the baby's back, "That's how you hold a baby."

"I hate this." Tony grumbled.

"Come on, Tony." Steve tried to calm him down, "Peter likes you."

"He likes this thing." Tony moved Peter gently to reveal his buzzing reactor, "He likes you more."

Steve looked down at Peter.

His head was resting on Tony's shoulder, but his eyes were focused on the glowing star on Steve's armoured chest.

"So what do I do now?" Tony snapped, "I don't want to hold him anymore."

"Hold onto him for a little bit longer." Steve was disappointed, "I'll just get out of the suit, then get him to take a nap, he's been in the lab for too long."

Tony mumbled his frustration as he watched Steve walk back into the armoury. He could hear the machinery power up.

"Please hurry." He looked down at Peter with a frown.

oooOOOooo

"Finally!" Tony practically cheered from the couch when he saw Steve come out of the bedroom.

"Yeah." Steve sighed in agreement, "I think he's asleep now."

Steve sat down next to his husband, and glanced out the window, the sun was disappearing behind the New York skyline.

"Already?" Steve thought to himself.

Suddenly the TV turned off and Tony was sitting on Steve's lap facing him; his arms were draped around his confused husband's neck.

"Good." Tony whispered as he kissed Steve's neck.

Steve moaned his pleasure at first, then gently pushed his husband back.

"What are you doing?"

"Spending some time with my husband." Tony said between the kisses he continued planting on Steve's neck.

Steve moaned again as he wrapped his arms around Tony's waist; he needed this.

Tony kissed his way up Steve's jaw line until their lips met for a deep kiss; he melted into the muscular arms around him.

Steve pulled away for a quick breath, then went back for another kiss as he held Tony closer to his chest. Their weight shifted to the side, and soon, Tony was lying on top of his husband; his hands were gripped on Steve's muscular arms, he was desperate for more.

The kissing became intense, and the friction between the two superheroes made Steve feel exhilarated. He let his hands venture up from Tony's waist; one hand tugged Tony's shirt up, while the other was tangled in his brown hair.

Tony left Steve's lips and began kissing his neck again. He created a small distance between them and started unbuttoning the navy blue dress shirt that was covering his prize. Steve threw his head back as Tony kissed his exposed collarbone.

Steve closed his eyes; he could feel Tony's warm breath on his chest. His heart was pounding hard in his chest.

Then Steve heard something; his eyes instantly opened.

"Tony wait." He pulled Tony's face up to look at him.

"What?" Tony gasped for air.

"Do you hear that?" Steve sat up.

"No?" Tony tried to kiss him again, but was pushed away.

A muffled cry was coming from the closed bedroom door; it was Peter.

"I'm so sorry Tony." Steve apologized as he stood up, "Peter's crying."

Tony scratched his head as he watched Steve button his shirt again and walk into the bedroom; the crying stopped.

"Oh my god." He threw his hands up in surrender as he leaned back into the couch, "What a cry baby."

It had been days since the last time they were intimate, and Tony was eager to get back into it. Having Peter, a baby, interrupt his private time frustrated him. All he wanted was his husband; all of him.

"I'm sorry." Steve was standing in front of Tony; he tried to ignore his husband's ignorance.

"Yeah, yeah…" Tony turned the TV back on; he didn't look at Steve, "I get it."

Steve silently sat down next to his husband; he could sense that Tony was annoyed so he changed the topic.

"What do you want for dinner?" He asked after his kissed Tony on the cheek, "It's a little too late to cook."

Tony didn't react.

"I dunno." He grunted, his focus was on the TV.

"How 'bout I order some pizza?" Steve asked as he reached for the telephone on the table next to him.

Tony stayed silent.

"Okay." Steve stood up to walk out of the living room; still holding Peter, "Pizza it is."

* * *

 **Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think, and feel free to suggest ways to make this story better.**

 **-B**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello! So it looks like I've found a schedule for uploading chapters now, it's probably gonna be every week on Thursdays (maybe? hopefully?). I never planned on setting a schedule like this for the chapters, but I've been sharing them like this for awhile now and school work really does affect my writing schedule.**

 **UPDATE: I think I'm gonna scrap the whole schedule thing... I'll post whenever the chapters are ready. Due dates stress me out!**

 **Anyways, this chapter has a lot going on in it, I hope you don't mind. I had a problem with writing an ending that wasn't too open-ended (if that makes sense).**

 **WARNING: There is some more man on man romancing in the beginning of this chapter. If that stuff offends you, do not read!**

 **And finally, I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 9**

"I think he's actually asleep now." Steve said as he walked back into the kitchen.

Tony had his back to Steve, he was washing the dishes and the soft clanging of the plates and glasses echoed through the room.

"Tony?" Steve asked innocently as he stepped closer to his husband.

Still no response.

"Hey, you okay?"

Tony placed the last plate onto the dish rack and turned the faucet off; he was still ignoring his husband.

"Tony." Steve was serious now.

"What?" Tony sounded like an annoyed teenager as he turned around to face Steve.

"Are you okay? You've been like this all dinner."

"All dinner? How the hell would you know?" Tony barked his frustration, "You didn't even eat with me!"

Steve stepped back in shock as Tony raised his voice; he didn't realize that Tony was right. He was in the bedroom trying to get Peter to sleep again when the pizza had arrived. When Tony called him to eat, Steve only took a slice and went back into the room to be with Peter; Tony ate alone in the kitchen.

"Stop yelling. Peter's sleeping."

"It's always about Peter with you, huh?" Tony threw his apron onto the counter, "Look, I get you wanna play daddy with the kid but you can't ignore me! You can't pretend I'm not here, that I don't care."

"What are you talking about?" Steve was raising his voice too.

Tony stepped forward to walk away from Steve; he didn't want to waste his breath on another argument with his husband, on another night of fighting about Peter.

"Tony, wait." Steve put his hand on his husband's shoulder; effectively stopping him. He figured out what Tony's problem was and he had a way to fix it.

"What?" Tony said coldly.

Steve didn't speak; he let his blue eyes do the talking. Tony raised his eyebrows and tilted as he waited for a response; he got nothing.

"Are you gonn-"

Tony grunted as he was instantly held up against the refrigerator door; Steve's lips pressed firmly onto his.

"What the…" Tony gasped for air.

"Don't talk." Steve said into Tony's neck.

Breathing heavily, Tony gave in and rested his head on the refrigerator as he felt Steve kiss the start of his shoulder; his hands were wrapped around the muscular body of the super-soldier.

"I'm sorry." Steve whispered.

Tony reached for Steve's chin and pulled him up for a deep kiss. He gently tugged on Steve's blond hair with one hand, and started unbuttoning his husband's shirt with the other. Steve moaned softly when he felt a warm hand on his chest and he pressed himself harder onto Tony.

"Hold on to me." Steve commanded.

Tony did as he was told, all while he started kissing Steve's neck.

Steve grunted as he picked Tony up and carried him to the couch; Tony's arms and legs were wrapped tightly around his torso.

He carefully laid his husband down and pulled off his unbuttoned polo. Tony eagerly watched as he pulled off his own shirt; revealing his now brightly glowing reactor. Steve replaced himself on top of Tony and kissed him again as the friction between the two intensified.

Steve kissed his way down Tony's neck and stopped above the reactor; he looked up at his husband, and then kissed the area around the blue light.

Tony hissed his pleasure and Steve toyed with the sensitive area on his chest. He threw his head back, and closed his eyes.

oooOOOooo

"Apology accepted." Tony whispered.

Steve chuckled quietly as he wrapped his arm around a shirtless Tony.

The couple managed to make their way into the bedroom from the couch, and were now under the covers of their own bed. Peter was still asleep in his crib, and the only lights in the room were coming in from the large windows.

Tony snuggled deeper into Steve's bare chest and placed one of his arms onto the super-soldier's stomach; their breathing was synchronized.

"Goodnight Tony." Steve said softly as he kissed the head of dark brown hair on his shoulder.

"Night." Tony felt himself smile.

Steve closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

Tony looked up at the dark ceiling; he couldn't sleep, he was lost in his own thoughts. Again.

Soon, the minutes he was awake turned to hours and he was no longer in Steve's arms. The two of them were sleeping back to back, and Tony was now wrapped tightly in the bed sheets.

Steve stirred on his side of the bed and gently pulled on the sheets.

Tony groaned as he looked over at his husband. Steve's wide shoulders were silhouetted against New York's lights, and they were rising up and down as he took deep breaths.

"What are you dreaming about?" He said under his breath.

A soft shuffling noise from the corner of the room caught Tony's attention; he sat up in the bed, his muscles were tense. It was silent again.

Tony relaxed.

Again, he heard the shuffling.

"Right." Tony said under his breath as he stood up and walked over to the sound; he forgot that Peter was in the room too.

Peter was awake in his crib and he was kicking the blankets that covered his legs; he watched as Tony's shadow came closer.

"What are you doing?" Tony grunted as he leaned over the infant.

Peter's eyes widened; Tony's shadow was directly above him. His little face started to scrunch up, and he began to cry.

"Shh," Tony put a finger onto his lip, "You don't want to wake Steve."

Peter cried louder; Steve rolled in the bed.

"Oh my god." Tony complained, "Please? Don't cry."

Tears were now streaming down the boy's face, and his hands were curled up in tight fists near his cheeks; the crying got louder.

"Fine." Tony said as he reached to pick up the crying baby.

Tony held Peter away from his chest, the way he held him in the lab, and Peter continued to cry.

"Stop crying."

Eventually, Tony gave up on speaking and held Peter closer to his chest; the crying quickly became a weak whimper.

"Thank you" Tony rolled his eyes.

Peter rested his head on Tony's shoulder and soon quieted down; the warm, vibrating reactor on Tony's chest had soothed the baby back to sleep.

Tony walked over to the window with Peter and looked out into the city, "What does Steve see in you?" He didn't realize that the baby was already asleep.

After a few minutes, Tony gently placed Peter back into the crib and lay back in his bed. He reached for his phone on the bedside table to check the time, 4:36 am.

"Screw it." He mumbled as he got up, pulled on his jeans and shirt and walked out of the room to go to his lab.

oooOOOooo

"There you are!" Steve called from the kitchen when he heard the elevator doors open; a messy-haired Tony walked out with a cup of coffee.

Tony grunted a response as he slowly made his way through the penthouse. After a night of no sleep, he wasn't in the mood for anything.

"What the..." Tony was almost pushed over by a busy Dum-E robot that was carrying a full garbage bag, "Steve? What's all this?"

Another robot whirred out of the kitchen

"Could you take Peter?" Steve asked as he turned away from the stove he was cooking on; he was holding Peter with one hand and cooking with the other.

"Why?"

"Thanks." Steve said with a smile as he quickly handed Peter over and continued cooking breakfast.

"I never said yes." Tony held Peter close to keep him from crying, "Where's his carrier?"

"Just hold him, please." Steve said without looking at his husband; his shoulders were tense and he didn't notice that Tony had already walked out of the kitchen and into the bedroom, "Tony?" He looked up from his cooking and shrugged when he didn't get a reply.

The few seconds of silence were broken when Tony walked back into the kitchen.

"Hey, why are you so tense?" Tony asked as he put Peter and his carrier on one of the unused counters.

"SHIELD will be here today." Steve replied quickly; he still wasn't looking at Tony or Peter.

It was already late in the morning when Tony had come up from the lab and Steve was stressing out about the scheduled SHIELD visit. He frantically started preparing breakfast and asked JARVIS to help him clean the penthouse in preparation for Maria Hill, hence the cleaning robots.

"Right. Relax hun," Tony leaned on the counter next to the carrier, "they're just gonna check on Peter and then they'll leave. Don't get too far ahead of yourself."

Steve relaxed a bit. He plated the hash browns and sausages that he was cooking and turned to give some to his husband, "Why is he in the carrier?"

Tony forked the potatoes into his mouth, "I didn't wanna carry him." His voice was laced with sarcasm.

"That didn't seem to be a problem last night." Steve said with a grin. Peter's crying did wake him up that night, but he felt no need to get up when he realized that Tony was already by the crib; he wanted to see what Tony would do, and was left pleasantly surprised.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tony quickly turned around and sat at the island counters.

Steve sat down in the seat next to Tony ate his breakfast hurriedly; he needed to get everything ready, everything needed to be perfect.

"Don't choke." Tony laughed with food still in his mouth.

"Sorry." Steve downed his glass of orange juice, "I still need to feed Peter, and clean up the bedroom."

He stood up, took his plate to the sink and started preparing a bottle of formula. Tony watched in amusement as Steve was getting flustered in his nervousness.

"Can you feed him?" Steve handed Tony the bottle, "I'm gonna go clean the room."

"No thanks. You can do it." Tony said with a smirk.

"Tony, please." Steve was getting serious.

"Fine, but only because you said please." Tony snatched the bottle and walked over to Peter to feed him; Steve scurried into the bedroom.

"I don't get why you're cleaning the room!" Tony called out.

"Hill might want to see where Peter's sleeping." Steve called from the open bedroom door, "It's gotta be clean!"

Tony rolled his eyes and looked at Peter who was eagerly drinking his breakfast, "Damn kid. You're just like Steve."

oooOOOooo

" _Agents Hill and Simmons have arrived, sir. They are requesting to land."_

"They're clear to land." Steve stood up from the couch and walked to the door that led to the landing pad; he straightened his shirt while he walked.

"That's my cue." Tony quickly scurried to the elevator.

"Tony!" Steve tried to stop him, "Wait!"

But Tony was already gone.

The glass doors opened and Maria Hill walked in with a shorter brunette woman carrying a briefcase following closely behind her.

"Captain." Hill greeted the super-soldier as she approached him.

"Ma'am." Steve turned around to face them and nodded politely.

"This is Agent Jemma Simmons." Maria Hill introduced the woman beside her, "She'll be conducting the check-up."

"Agent Simmons." Steve reached out to shake her hand, "Welcome. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Thank you Captain," The British woman shook his hand with a warm smile, "but I think I'll be fine. Where is Peter?"

"Right this way, ma'am."

Steve led the two women into the living room, where Peter was resting in his carrier.

"Hello Peter!" Jemma said cheerfully as she started unbuckling the baby.

Steve stood by and smiled nervously when he saw Simmons pull a tablet and medical equipment from her briefcase; he was hoping that nothing was wrong with Peter, that the baby could still stay in the tower.

"Let's let Agent Simmons work." Hill gently pulled on Steve's shoulder.

Steve hesitated.

"Simmons is one of the best." The raven-haired woman reassured him; Jemma smiled at the compliment.

Steve silently walked with Agent Hill into the kitchen, "You've got nothing to worry about." He thought to himself.

oooOOOooo

"So Captain," Hill said from her seat at the island counter, "Where's Tony?"

"In his lab." Steve poured a glass of water and placed it on the counter for his colleague.

"Of course he is." The agent said; her lips curled into a slight smile.

Steve looked out the window. He was too nervous to make conversation with the woman in front of him, and not having Tony with him wasn't making it any better.

"Have you found anything?" Steve broke his silence.

"I'm sorry?" Hill said after taking a sip of water.

"From the attack." Steve continued his question, "Any new leads?"

"We managed to recover some surveillance footage from the building." The agent crossed her arms, "Nothing concrete yet, but evidence suggests that an organized crime group may be to blame. They call themselves the Goblin Nation."

"The Goblin Nation?" Steve chuckled at the name.

Maria Hill smiled at his amusement.

"What links them to the attack?"

"Like I said Cap," Hill responded, "we've got nothing concrete. The security tapes were heavily damaged, but we did see what looked like men wearing goblin masks running in the basements just before the fire started. We're still investigating."

Steve nodded, "Keep me updated."

"Agent Hill?" A soft British voice called out.

The pair in the kitchen turned to see Agent Simmons standing at the entrance to the kitchen with her tablet.

"May I speak to you?" Simmons sounded nervous.

"Excuse me." Hill stood up from her seat and walked over to her agent and then led her further away from Steve.

Steve anxiously watched as Maria Hill took the tablet and scrolled through the data that Simmons had collected. He tried to listen to what they were saying but they were too far; reading their lips wasn't an option either. Steve's nervousness spiked when he saw Hill put on her serious face; she had stopped scrolling through the tablet.

Simmons looked up and accidentally made eye-contact with Steve, he knew that something was wrong.

* * *

 **There you go, Chapter 9! I had fun writing the Tony/Peter moment in the first half of the chapter, and with writing Steve being all nervous about Hill and Simmons visiting. Hope you enjoyed!**

 **In case you didn't know, Jemma Simmons is an actual character in the MCU on Agents of Shield, and the Goblin Nation (as weird as they sound) are in the comic universe too. I didn't make them up.**

 **And to answer Ettelwen11's question:** _are you watching PLL? Your nickname is good._

 **No, I do not watch PLL. But I totally know what you're referring to :)**

 **Until next week,**

 **-B**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! Just wanted to say thanks for reading my story, it's been awhile since I thanked you guys and I apologize. It really means a lot!**

 **So anyways, I managed to get this chapter out way sooner than I expected. I know I said that I was going to set a schedule for posting chapters, but I decided to scrap that idea (I hate deadlines).**

 **As always, I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 10**

"Is there a problem?" The super-soldier approached the two women and asked shakily; the look on Agent Simmons' face made Steve feel very uneasy.

"Not at all, sir." Simmons chirped.

"Are you sure?" Steve reached out to take the tablet out of Agent Hill's hands.

The raven-haired woman instantly pulled back, "Captain, there is nothing wrong with Peter. I assure you."

Steve stepped back, "May I look at the data?"

"Sorry, Steve." Hill responded as she pulled the tablet closer to her chest and covered the screen, "I can't let you look at this until Director Fury gives me the okay."

Steve looked to Agent Simmons with a raised eyebrow. The British woman smiled nervously and rubbed the side of her arm; the tension was getting to her, and she didn't know how to hide it.

"Okay then." Steve said to her; he didn't want to start a scene, "Will that be all?"

"Uhh." Jemma opened her mouth, but turned to her boss for help.

"Agent Simmons?"

"Yes sir." Simmons looked away, "I think that should be all."

"Thank you, Captain." Hill stepped in, "We'll be back in a few weeks for a follow-up."

Without another word, Steve shook both of their hands and walked them to the landing pad, where the quinjet was waiting. The wind had picked up that morning, but the sky was still very clear; he watched as the jet took off and flew out of New York City.

oooOOOooo

"Tony!" Steve called into the messy lab as the elevator doors opened; he had Peter in his arms.

"They gone?" Tony asked without turning away from the Iron Man suit he was working on; his face and hair were moist with his sweat.

"Yeah." Steve sat down at the lab bench near his husband, "I think something is wrong though."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Tony tried to reason with him, "Don't worry."

"I think they're hiding something." Steve felt himself frown.

The inventor sighed as put his tools down; he pulled his gloves off and turned to face his worried husband with a raised eyebrow, "What do you mean?" He sounded irritated.

"I don't know." Steve replied, "Agent Simmons did her tests on Peter and showed something to Hill on a tablet. When I tried to look, they didn't want to show me."

Tony moved to stand in front of Steve with his arms crossed. He could feel the stress radiating off of his nervous husband; Steve's body language betrayed him.

"They said I couldn't look at it until Fury gave the _okay_."

"That's bull-"

" _Language_." Steve interrupted.

"Sorry." Tony glanced at Peter and rolled his eyes, "Don't you have the clearance to look at that kind of stuff at SHIELD? Level 7 or something?"

"Level 8, actually." Steve smirked.

"Don't show off now." Tony chuckled as he turned and walked over to his computer. He turned it on and waved both arms up in front of him; a large blue holographic screen pulled up.

"What are you doing?"

"You want to know what's wrong with Peter right?"

Steve nodded.

"Then let's find out." Tony smiled, "JARVIS, I want access to all the medical files SHIELD has on Peter Parker."

"Tony!" Steve snapped; it felt wrong hacking into the organization they both worked for.

" _Sir, I'm going to agree with Captain Rogers. You are aware that if SHIELD discovers your presence in the system, you will be reprimanded."_

"Then don't let them find us." Tony responded, "I designed you for this stuff."

" _Actually, sir-"_

"Pull it up now!" Tony barked, effectively silencing his AI.

Steve looked at his husband; didn't know what to say. He was worried about Peter's condition but didn't want Tony snooping around under SHIELD's nose for information. Steve was, however, appreciative of what his husband was doing for him and he smiled at the thought of Tony helping him out.

" _Of course, sir."_ Pages of Peter's records instantly appeared on the screens.

Tony looked up at the holograms in front of him and started sifting through the pages of information, "His birthday's in August? Did you know that?"

Steve didn't respond; he started nervously playing with Peter's little hands.

Tony continued scrolling through the files: Peter's birth certificate, immunizations and health records, but he found nothing.

"Oh look, hun." He turned to look at Steve, "There's nothing here."

Steve let out a sigh of relief, "I guess that's a good thing right?" He sounded slightly more optimistic.

"I told you it was nothing."

Steve stood up and walked over to Tony, "Thank you." He kissed him lightly on the cheek; the inventor cracked a smile.

"Maybe you should take him upstairs." Tony suggested when he saw Peter yawn in Steve's arms, "I bet he's tired from the check-up."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Steve turned to the elevator, "I'll see you upstairs for dinner?" He called behind him.

"Uhh, yeah." Tony replied without looking.

The elevator doors slid open before Steve and Peter made it to the lift; Bruce walked out wearing his lab coat and glasses. The two men nodded a greeting as they passed each other.

"Penthouse." Steve said as the doors closed.

Bruce walked towards Tony who continued looking at the records in front of him; he had his serious face on, "Hey Tony, what are you reading?"

"Huh?" Tony didn't realize that Bruce was now in the lab too, "Oh, sorry. Peter's files from SHIELD."

"Why?" The doctor stepped closer and looked at the screen.

"Hill was here earlier, to check on Peter. Steve said she was acting weird or something and he got worried, so I got JARVIS to pull up SHIELD's records and showed him that nothing was wrong."

"Oh." Bruce nodded and turned to walk to his desk as Tony continued reading.

Bruce turned his computer on and continued his research and development of an anti-stress serum he called _Tetrodotoxin B_ ; something he felt he needed. For a while, the lab was quiet, with the exception of the murmured reading coming from Tony, and both men were very focused on what they were doing.

" _Mr. Stark, it appears as though Agent Simmons's is updating Peter's medical files._ " JARVIS spoke up and broke the silence.

"What did you find?" Tony stepped back from his screen to let the files update, "Pull it up!"

" _It is an audio journal entry, sir."_

"A 0956307, Dr. Jemma Simmons." The soft British voice began playing through the speakers of the lab, "The date is-"

Bruce looked up from behind his computer to Tony, "Should I go?" He pulled his glasses off with one hand.

"It's up to you." Tony shrugged; Bruce remained quiet in his seat, "JARVIS, volume."

" _My apologies, sir."_

Tony sat down on the stool behind him and listened to the recording.

"A three month old subject has been monitored by SHIELD for a week, since concerns of exposure to gamma-radiation have come up. I have met with the subject today to follow-up on his health since his first tests six days ago."

"Has it only been six days?" Tony thought to himself.

"His first blood tests detected minor abnormalities in the DNA of his blood cells, which supports the notion of exposure to gamma-radiation. Surprisingly, after further analysis, there were no other physical symptoms detected during his first examination as seen in attached file: _1_."

"Pause JARVIS." Tony commanded; the audio file stopped playing, "Show me the file."

The document appeared in front of him; it showed Peter's DNA records, models of DNA strands (before and after his supposed exposure) as well as a written report from his first check-up with SHIELD.

"Banner," Tony called out to his friend as he stood up and approached the new images on the screen, "could you take a look at this?"

Bruce slowly got up and walked back to Tony.

"Tell me what I'm looking at."

"Well," Bruce put his glasses on and pulled the DNA strands off of the holographic screen so that a 3D projection was displayed in front of them, "here is his DNA before, and his DNA after. You see this spot here?"

Tony nodded as Bruce zoomed in on the _before_ strand.

"Compare it to this spot," Bruce swiped his hand to the left to show the _after_ strand, "here. What do you see?"

"Gee, doc." Tony said sarcastically, "I don't know, I haven't mastered my biochemistry. Give me a day or two."

Bruce chuckled, "Well, simply put, DNA is divided into genes, which are made up of a series specific nucleotide pairs that code for different proteins. His first tests show that there was a change in some of the pairings in his genes. I don't know what exactly changed, but this gene," he pointed at a glowing portion of the strand, "is called LIM homeobox 2. It is being expressed at very unusual amounts but it's not showing any side effects… yet."

"What does it do?"

"It promotes hair growth."

"Hair growth?" Tony laughed, "You're kidding right?"

Bruce smiled, "Unless I'm looking at the wrong gene, that's what LHX2 does."

"The boy doesn't even have a full head of hair yet." Tony scratched his head. He was confused; Peter's genetics showed that his hair should be growing at an increased rate, but physically, nothing was happening.

"JARVIS, resume."

"Today's blood tests yielded more concerning results." Jemma's voice started sounded nervous, "There were even more expression of LIM homeobox genes in his blood, and still, there were no changes in his hair growth. When I examined the subject further, I found that his skin had turned reddish on some parts of his body and had begun peeling; a symptom of radiation poisoning."

Bruce was feeling uneasy now, he knew that if Peter did suffer from radiation poisoning, the likelihood of him surviving was minimal. However, his biggest concern was the gamma-radiation; the last thing he wanted was a miniature Hulk running around the Avengers' Tower.

"I am concerned that these mutations in the subject's genome will lead to fatal consequences, especially because the subject is an infant and his symptoms have escalated at an alarming rate, in less than a week. My supervisors are aware of my findings and have agreed that further tests and continued monitoring are required before making my final diagnosis. Again, this is Dr. Jemma Simmons, further updates to come."

The files on the screen immediately closed; Bruce and Tony were both left stunned at what they had stumbled upon.

"JARVIS," Tony called out as he started pressing buttons on his computer, "That's it?"

" _I am afraid so, sir. Agent Simmons ended her report there and didn't add anything else._ "

"Damnit." Tony grumbled; he wanted more. He wanted to know what he and Steve were dealing with, "Close the files, and cover our trail. I don't want SHIELD to come knocking."

Bruce sat on a seat nearby, "Are you gonna tell him?"

"What?" Tony snapped, "Hell no. That's the last thing he'll want to hear from me."

"But he should know."

"Bruce, think!" Tony poked at his friend's shoulder, "You've seen how attached Steve is to that kid. It'll break his heart if he finds out Peter's gonna die."

Tony slumped into the seat next Bruce.

"He's not gonna die Tony," Bruce scratched the spot Tony poked, "Simmons' doesn't even know what's wrong with him yet. She's just making her assumptions, like any other doctor would."

Tony nodded. Bruce was right, but he didn't know when or how to tell his husband.

"I'll be the one to tell Steve, okay?" Tony looked at Bruce.

The doctor nodded and walked back to his computer.

"JARVIS, is that clear?"

" _Of course, sir._ "

* * *

 **Sorry if you guys found this chapter boring with all the science talk, I tried to balance it out with more sarcastic Tony, let me know if it worked! I have some future chapter stories planned out and I needed a way to set them up, this chapter and a little bit of the last one kinda does that. Hopefully it all works out in the end.**

 **Thanks again so much for reading! Please, feel free to leave reviews and let me know what you guys think. If there are any suggestions out there, let me know! I love waking up and getting all these notifications from you guys, it really pushes me to keep writing.**

 **-B**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone! Two chapters in less than a week! Haven't done that in awhile.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter, some exciting stuff happens here so I won't get into too much detail about that now.** **Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!**

 **I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 11**

"Steve, I'm home!" Tony called out with a smile as he walked from the elevator to the kitchen; he was trying to hide the fact he was nervous about his recent discovery, "What's for dinner? Smells real good!"

"Spaghetti." Steve laughed as he turned around. His muscles swelled underneath the grey t-shirt and he was wearing his _Kiss the Cap_ apron that Tony had given him a while back, "What took you so long?"

"What do you mean?" Tony kissed his husband on the cheek, "It's only…"

"7:30." Steve rolled his eyes and continued his cooking, "Could you try the noodles please? Are they ready?"

He felt himself freeze as Tony leaned closer to his face; the warm breath coming out of his husband's mouth made his ears tingle and his cheeks burned red.

"The only noodle I wanna taste is yo-"

"Tony!" Steve playfully screamed and punched his husband's shoulder.

"What?" Tony asked as he kissed Steve on the lips.

"There is a time and place for that." Steve said sternly as he twirled some plain pasta on a fork and gave it to Tony.

"But Peter's sleeping!" The inventor whined, "And if I recall correctly, you were the one who started _it_ last time, in this very kitchen. Noodles are fine by the way."

"Thank you." Steve took the fork back and began to plate their meal, "Well, you were mad at me _last time_ and we both know that only way I could've gotten your attention was by doing _that_."

Steve handed a plate of spaghetti to Tony and the pair sat together at the island counter.

"And by _that,_ you mean slamming me into the fridge and ripping my clothes off?" Tony asked playfully; he felt like flirting over dinner.

Steve was taken aback by Tony's question, "Yeah." He responded without looking at the pair of amorous eyes next to him.

Tony took a bite of his pasta.

"What did you and Bruce do downstairs?"

"Well," Tony swallowed nervously as he tried to come up with a story, "Bruce was working on some kind of anti-stress drug. He's been working on it for a while now, says it's supposed to lower his heart rate or something."

Steve nodded politely as he listened to his husband, "What did you do?"

"Oh you know… the usual, continued working on my suits. I tried to update JARVIS too, he's been real sassy lately. Have you noticed that?"

"You did program him, sir." Steve replied with the fake English accent that he tried learning from Peggy during the war.

"That was terrible." Tony laughed.

Steve chuckled as he twirled more noodles onto his fork.

"What did you do after putting Peter to bed?" Tony asked with pasta still in his mouth; he wanted to change the topic.

"Not much, really." Steve responded, "Just cleaned up a bit, went to the gym, then I cooked dinner."

Tony ate more of his spaghetti; Steve smiled as he watched his husband slurp more noodles.

"Oh, and Rhodey called." The super-soldier continued, "Told him you were busy though."

"What did he want?"

"He said he hasn't heard from you in a while," Steve replied, "and he heard about Peter. I think he's upset..."

"That I didn't tell him?" Tony laughed as he finished his husband's sentence, "He'll live."

Steve smiled, and took another fork of pasta, "Oh did you hear-"

Tony looked up curiously from his plate; his eyebrow raised.

"The city approved the redevelopment of the Baxter Building."

"That old thing down the street?"

"Yeah," Steve nodded, "I think they're gonna turn it into an apartment building or something."

"This tower's better." Tony commented with a smirk as he slurped up more pasta.

oooOOOooo

" _Captain Rogers, Peter has awoken from his nap."_ JARVIS spoke up as the super-couple began cleaning their dishes.

"Yeah, thanks JARVIS." Tony scoffed as he looked to his husband, "We can hear him."

"Could you continue?" Steve asked as he quickly stood up from his seat and walked to the bedroom, "I'll go get Peter."

"Yeah, yeah." Tony sighed, "I know the drill."

Tony began taking the dirty plates, cups and cutlery to the sink and prepared himself to wash them; he could still hear Peter wailing in the bedroom. But it wasn't his problem, so he continued his cleaning.

He cringed as the crying grew louder behind him, "What the hell?"

"Tony?" Steve walked into the kitchen, "Peter won't stop crying and I don't know why. He usually stops when I pick him up. What do I do?"

Tony turned around to see a very worried Steve trying to calm down the now red-faced Peter crying into his large chest. The crying intensified with each second the couple waited, and the baby was gasping for air as his tears continued streaming down his face.

"Ummm, let me try." Tony said without thinking; all he wanted was for the crying to stop.

Tony quickly dried his hands on his shirt and reached out for the crying infant. He gently pulled him closer to the blue light on his chest and patted Peter lightly on the back; the crying died down to a whimper as the vibrating reactor hummed into the baby's stomach. Peter's breathing became stuttered as he tried to recover from his screaming.

Steve smiled the whole time.

"Damn, Steve." Tony whispered, "What happened to him?"

"I don't know." Steve shook his head lightly, "He's never been like this before. He didn't want his formula, and his diaper isn't dirty either."

"Well," Tony sighed, "he's done now. Take him."

Steve nodded then pulled Peter away from his husband, "Maybe a warm bath might calm him down."

"Yeah." Tony grunted as he turned around to finish washing the dishes.

The super-soldier rocked Peter and kissed him on the top of his head as they entered the bathroom. Steve gently placed the baby on the counter by the sink, turned the faucet on to run some warm water, and unbuttoned Peter's onesie; he turned away to throw it into the laundry hamper.

His ears perked, when he heard Peter start whimpering again, "Hey buddy," he turned to look at him and lovingly placed his hand on Peter's head, "What's wrong?"

Peter began squirming under Steve's palm and rubbing at his stomach; tears started forming in his wide eyes, prompting Steve to pick him up again.

"Shh. Don't cry." The worried captain gently rocked the baby again, "I got you."

Steve held the sad baby away from his chest and looked into his watery eyes; he could see the discomfort in Peter's face and needed to find the problem. He immediately noticed that Peter had his hands on his stomach so he carefully pulled them away and examined the boy.

"What is this?" He quickly turned the tap off; he saw that the skin on Peter's belly was red and peeling, and there was a little bump on his forearm, "Tony!" He called, "Tony!"

"What?" Tony came running in, "What's wrong?"

"Look at Peter." Steve gently lifted Peter who was only in his diaper, "Something's wrong with his skin."

Tony stood still as he examined the baby, "This is what Simmons' was talking about." He muttered to himself quietly so Steve wouldn't hear.

"What is it?" Steve asked worriedly, "Do I need to call Simmons?"

"No." Tony said as he backed away from his husband and made up a reason, "It's just a rash. Give him his bath, and put some lotion on him or something."

"And what about this?" Steve gently lifted Peter's arm to show Tony the bump.

"It looks like an insect bite, maybe spider." Tony scratched his head, "The rash is probably from an allergic reaction or something. Don't worry about it; he's had all his shots already."

"I hope you're right." Steve turned the tap back on and continued to undress Peter for his bath.

"I'm always right." Tony smirked as he watched Steve.

" _Director Fury is on the line. He is requesting to speak to you both."_

"Tony?"

"Ugh." Tony complained as he turned and walked out the door, "What does he want?"

" _He didn't say, sir."_

"C'mon, JARVIS. You're better than that."

" _I apolo-"_

"Mr. Stark." A strong voice filled the living room and silenced the AI.

"Director." Tony stood still in front of the holographic projection of his boss.

"Where is Captain Rogers?"

"Oh," Tony pretended to be offended, "am I not good enough for you?"

"I don't have time for your games, Stark." Fury barked, "Where is your husband?"

"He's giving Peter a bath; he'll be out in a bit." Tony gave in, "What do you need to tell him?"

"I'd like to tell him myself. You won't like what I have to say." Fury said coldly.

"Well guess what, _Nick,_ Steve will be a while." Tony was getting irritated, "So why don't you just tell me? I'm gonna find out anyways."

"Alright." Fury cracked a slight smile, "I need the Captain for a mission to Wakanda. There have been multiple terrorist attacks in major cities all over the country. King T'challa has requested help and he thinks HYDRA may be involved. So I'm sending our best: Romanoff, Barton and your husband."

"And I'm not going?" Tony was actually offended this time.

"Someone needs to stay with Peter."

Tony cursed under his breath and scratched his head in frustration. He wanted nothing to do with the kid, and now, he was being forced to take care of him. Without Steve.

"I told you, you wouldn't like it."

"You can't leave him with me!" Tony complained.

"Yes I can, and I will." Fury's smile quickly disappeared, "Another thing. Agent Simmons' has reported that someone has managed to illegally access her files and reports. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't lie to me Stark." Fury crossed his arms, "We traced the hacker to the Avengers' Tower, and you are the only one capable and stupid enough to do it."

Tony put his finger to his mouth and quickly came up with a snarky comeback, but was interrupted by an angry director.

"Don't _lie_ to me Stark."

"Fine. It was me." Tony confessed, "When were you going to tell us?"

"Tell you what?"

"That the kid is sick?" Tony lowered his voice so Steve wouldn't hear, but he was loud enough to sound angry, "You left him here with us, you let Steve get attached to him, and now you're keeping secrets about him from us?"

"Tony." Fury tried to calm the fuming man down, "Yes, Peter is sick. But Agent Simmons doesn't know the full extent of the radiation. We didn't want to tell Cap anything until we found something conclusive. We need him to be focused and him knowing wouldn't help anyone."

"Secret's out now, Fury." Tony dropped his arms to his side, "When is Steve gonna know?"

"Since you're so adamant about it, I can tell him right now. Call him over."

"No no no." Tony shook his finger, "If anyone is telling Steve, it's gonna be me."

Director Fury cleared his throat and looked behind Tony; there was some anxiousness in his eyes.

"Tell me what?"

Tony's eyes opened wide, and he turned around to see where the voice was coming from; it was Steve carrying a towel-wrapped Peter.

* * *

 **Has Peter been bitten? Steve has to go away? What does this all mean for the SuperFamily?**

 **Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! And please, feel free to leave reviews and let me know what you guys think.**

 **Now unfortunately, I just wanted to let you know that there will NOT be a new chapter next week. It pains me to say this, but school has been really hectic lately and the next few days will be super busy for me. I hope to get a new chapter out the following week though, so keep an eye out for that!**

 **Thank you all again, and until next time,**

 **-B**


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own anything Marvel. All mentioned properties belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 12**

"Tell me what?"

Tony cursed under his breath, and for a moment the world around him froze when he looked into the bright blue eyes of his husband.

Steve raised an eyebrow as he readjusted how he was cradling Peter in his arms, "Tony?" He asked again when the stunned inventor didn't answer.

"Uhh-" Tony felt the air escape his lips, "That SHIELD needs you for a mission." He finally blurted his response as he wiped a small bead of sweat from his forehead. All he could think of were the consequences of Steve hearing his conversation with the director.

"Sir?" Steve looked to Fury.

The stoic director rubbed at his temple before speaking, "Yes Captain. I need you for an operation in Wakanda."

Steve silently handed Peter to a very anxious Tony then stepped closer to the screen, "What's happening in Wakanda?"

"I'll go get Peter dressed." Tony leaned closer to Steve's ear, "I'll leave you two alone." He looked at Peter with a face of annoyance and walked away; he needed an excuse to leave, and Peter was his only option.

Tony walked into the bedroom and laid Peter and his towel on the bed; he could hear Steve's _talking-to-the-director_ voice seep through the slightly opened door. He looked at the diaper-clad baby on his bed and watched as he squirmed in the cold air of the room.

"JARVIS, where are his clothes?" Tony asked without taking his eyes off the boy.

" _Captain Rogers has left a bag of Peter's clothes in his closet, sir."_

"Don't move." Tony gently tapped Peter's round belly before walking into Steve's closet, and much to his surprise, Peter waited quietly.

"Where JARV-" Tony started to ask, "Never mind." He pulled a blue onesie out of the bag and walked back to where Peter was lying.

Tony threw the little outfit onto the mattress and scratched his head in confusion. Sure, he had experience undressing people, but Tony had never dressed another person before, let alone a baby. He picked the onesie up again and stretched it so that he could see the full form of the baby-soft fabric.

"Wha-?" Tony could see between the legs of the onesie that Peter was staring right at him with a goofy little smile plastered onto his face, "Look kid, I don't know what I'm doing here."

"Of course you don't." Steve walked into the bedroom with a smile.

"Shut up!" Tony said jokingly as he looked over his shoulder and watched Steve step closer to him.

The super-soldier gently placed his hand on Tony's left shoulder as he stood on the opposite side. He took the onesie from his husband and gently nudged him over with a quiet chuckle.

Tony watched Steve lean over the baby and quickly dress him with ease. He lost himself as he admired how Steve's shoulders and biceps flexed each time he bent his arms and carried the baby. Little Peter looked like he was enjoying the attention too; Steve couldn't be any more perfect, and that made Tony smile.

"Huh?" Tony snapped back, still partially dazed by his trance.

"Did you get that?" Steve was looking at Tony, with a now fully clothed Peter in his arms.

"Uhh, yeah?"

"JARVIS," Steve looked up at the ceiling, "did you get that?"

" _Of course, sir_."

"Good." Steve sat down at the side of the bed, "Tony's gonna need it when I'm gone."

"Right." Tony took a seat next to Steve and rested his head on his husband's muscular shoulder, "You're going. What did Fury say?"

"That Nat, Clint, and I are going to Wakanda to help T'Challa with what he thinks is HYDRA." Steve kissed the top of Tony's head.

"What he _thinks_?" Tony scoffed, "T'Challa's smarter than that."

"Fury said that there were bombings all across Wakanda," Steve continued, "they want us to help clean up the place."

"No offense Cap, but why not send me?" Tony took his head off of his husband, "Fury knows I can defuse a bomb, right?"

"T'Challa wants this to be quiet," Steve turned to Tony, "and two flyers and the Hulk, aren't really quiet. Besides, Clint and Nat can be pretty resourceful on the field. We'll be fine."

Tony looked away as he was slightly annoyed that he wasn't going on the mission too. For a moment, the room was quiet.

"Thanks for agreeing to stay with Peter." Steve broke the silence, and took Tony's hand.

"Yeah. No problem." Tony still wasn't looking at his husband; he was boiling with frustration now. He was upset that he had to take care of Peter alone. But what bothered him the most was that Fury told Steve that he had agreed to take of the baby, that Steve thought that he was okay with it.

"When are you leaving?"

"The quinjet is picking us up tomorrow afternoon, then we fly to the capital after checking in with Fury."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know." Steve looked to the floor like he was embarrassed to admit it, "Fury, doesn't even know either. T'Challa said it might be awhile, but you nev-"

"What the hell, Steve?" Tony interjected, "You don't know? What if you're gone for months? I can't take care of him for that long."

"Don't use that language in front of Peter." Steve snapped, then composed himself again, "We won't be gone for more than a month, and you'll be fine."

Tony looked away again and didn't respond; he was too busy going through his imagined scenarios of being alone with Peter.

"Hey, hey." Steve placed his hand on Tony's jaw and caressed the space behind his ear, pulling it gently so that they were face to face, "You will be fine."

Steve pulled him in for a kiss. Tony's lips lingered on his for longer than he expected, but that didn't bother him. He then pulled away slightly so that only their foreheads were touching, but he continued holding Tony's face and he gently traced the round edge of his jaw with his thumb.

Steve grinned as he looked into his husband's brown eyes, "I'll get to try your new suit."

oooOOOooo

The next morning, Steve decided that it would be a good idea for the team to eat brunch together in the Avenger's kitchen before half of them had to fly across the Atlantic for who knows how long. Steve thought the plan was simple: cook breakfast, eat together as team, clean up, then leave; and that was what he planned on doing

He was in the middle of preparing his all-American breakfast of pancakes, bacon, sausages and eggs, when the first Avenger had woken up; it was Captain Marvel, still in her pajamas.

"Morning Cap." Carol rubbed her eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"Morning!" Steve called out happily, "I thought we should all eat breakfast together before the mission. Could you help me with the pancakes? I think the skillet is ready."

Carol smiled and walked to the stove to help her friend and captain, "This is really nice of you, Cap. But don't you remember what happened last time?"

The last time Steve cooked breakfast for everyone, the Avengers and their kitchen were in complete chaos. Thor, who was living in the tower at the time, was trying to prepare a cup of coffee for himself; he ended up breaking the coffee maker and infuriating almost half the team.

If taking coffee away from Tony Stark was like burning a leaf, then breaking the machine was like starting a forest fire. Thor tried apologizing to the _man of metal_ , but that only fanned the flames.

Tony started yelling at the God of Thunder, which prompted Natasha to try and calm the situation down; she too started raising her voice after a few seconds of trying. Soon, everyone was yelling at each other. Except Bruce, who was desperately trying to relax in the corner as his heart rate monitor was beeping wildly.

"Yeah," Steve said, "I remember. I'm sure it won't happen again."

"I hope you're right." Carol said with a nervous smile, "Wouldn't want another Avenger moving out of the tower."

oooOOOooo

"Steve?" Tony yelled as he stepped into the wave of sound that rushed into the elevator; Peter was crying in his arms.

"Tony? In the kitchen!" Steve shouted his response.

Tony barely heard what his husband had said over the noise and crying, but he heard _kitchen_ so that's where he went. He walked through the messy Avengers' living room; multiple bags and cases were scattered around the room and Clint and Natasha were frantically trying to pack their belongings.

"Bruce!" Tony noticed his lab partner carrying a large, rectangular hard case out of Clint's room, so he stopped to talk, "What is going on?"

"Clint and Nat haven't finished packing." Bruce grunted and rolled his eyes as he dropped the case onto the floor.

"Be careful with that!" Clint yelled; he was red in the face.

Tony quickly scurried away and tried to calm the crying baby in his arms, but nothing was working.

"Tony! In here!" Steve called from the stove when he saw his husband approach the kitchen.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Cap wanted all of us to eat breakfast together before he left for Wakanda." Carol answered as she ran over to the crying baby and plucked him out of Tony's arms.

Tony walked deeper into the kitchen and stood next to his busy husband. He gently placed on arm on Steve's waist and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. Steve felt the gravity between them build up and turned just as Tony made contact with his face; they kissed chastely on the lips.

"Good morning." Steve said gently as he pulled away; Tony's eyes were still closed.

"Morning." Tony smiled, "Today's the day." He wrapped his arms around Steve's waist and rested his cheek on the centre of the captain's broad back.

"Yeah, today's the day." Steve echoed Tony, but his voice sounded a little sad.

Tony lifted his cheek and squeezed the muscular torso in front of him harder, which prompted Steve to turn his head to the side so he could see his husband. Tony smiled a reassuring smile, but he could see the nervousness building up in Steve's vibrant blue eyes.

Steve turned around again to finish frying his last scramble of eggs, and Tony could feel his chest rise and fall heavily.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked, "You're usually so excited to go on missions."

"I don't know." Steve loosened the arms around him and plated the eggs, "I don't - it doesn't feel right, leaving you and Peter."

Tony reached for Steve's hand, "I'd be upset if I had to leave me too." He said with a smirk in an effort to cheer him up.

"What is taking so long?" Clint complained from the dining table, effectively ruining the loving moment.

Steve chuckled as he handed to plate to Tony, "Put this on the table, I'll call them for-" he looked at his watch, " _lunch_."

oooOOOooo

Much to Steve's surprise, and relief, the breakfast-turned-lunch went very smoothly, with the exception of Bruce jokingly threatening to rip Clint's arm off if he didn't hand over the last piece of bacon. There were no tantrums, no yelling, no fists, and no broken coffee machines; the team sat and ate together like the super-family that they were.

While Carol and Bruce were busy cleaning the dishes, Steve was going through a last minute check of the gear that he, Clint and Natasha had packed. Tony was sitting on the couch bouncing Peter on his lap, he rolled his eyes each time the baby giggled.

"Everything ready?" Steve asked the duo in front of him.

"I think so." Natasha said as she flopped onto the armchair behind her, "What time are they coming?"

" _2:30 pm, ma'am."_ JARVIS answered.

"And what time is it?" Clint asked as he took a seat next to Tony and played with Peter's soft hands.

" _It is currently, 2:25 pm."_

"So they should be here soon." Steve looked out the window and saw a quinjet approach the landing pad.

" _Sir, Agent Hill is requesting to land_."

"Let her in JARVIS." Tony said as he stood up from his seat on the couch and walked to his husband, "You ready?"

"I think so." Steve looked at his husband with his nervous eyes, then to a smiling Peter, "You take care of Tony okay?"

Peter reached out to touch Steve's face, and placed his hand on the man's cheek. Steve flashed a warm smile, and took the little hand in his and kissed the soft palm of the baby. Tony leaned in and kissed Steve on the lips again; knowing that it would be the last time they would touch for a while.

"Captain." Maria Hill spoke up behind Tony, "I don't mean to interrupt, but we need to go."

"Alright." Steve nodded, "Just give me a sec."

Hill smiled slightly and turned around to help Clint, Natasha and the other SHIELD agents load the gear onto the quinjet. Soon, Bruce and Carol were helping too.

"Be careful out there." Tony said as Steve pulled his forehead to his own, "Call me when you can, and take care of the suit."

"I will." Steve chuckled and kissed Tony again, "I love you."

Tony nodded and smiled before he pulled away to let his husband help load the plane. He and Peter watched silently as the team said their goodbyes to Bruce and Carol before boarding the quinjet. Steve was the last to board, and he waved at the two through the window before stepping onto the ramp.

"I love you, Cap." Tony said silently as he watched the quinjet fly out of New York City.

* * *

 **And I'm back! So... I've decided to start writing my author's notes at the end of the chapter instead of in both the beginning and end, that way y'all can go straight into the story without dealing with my comments. Anyways, I hope everyone is doing well! I missed writing so much last week and I wrote this chapter as soon as I ended class.** **I hope you guys enjoyed the domestic Avengers moments, 'cus that was actually so much fun to write!**

 **Thanks again very much for reading, and all of the favourites and follows! And feel free to leave reviews! Let me know what you think, and tell me where you want to see this story go! Private messages are also very welcome.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-B**


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 13**

Tony sat down on the couch of the penthouse with Peter on his lap. It had only been a few minutes since one half of his _family_ had boarded an airplane and flew across the Atlantic Ocean, and the very tired inventor didn't know what to do now that half of his chaotic day had passed.

He looked at the little boy on his lap. Peter's wide hazel eyes glimmered in the sunlight that was pouring through the large windows that he was facing. Tony looked away; he could feel the gaze of the baby burn deep into his skin, but he quickly turned to look at Peter again when he heard him giggle softly.

"What?" Tony said annoyedly; his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Peter giggled even louder when Tony's face swung around and met his own; the man's wrinkled forehead was comedy gold to the child.

Tony raised both of his eyebrows in curiosity as his response; effectively wrinkling his face even more. Peter continued to laugh louder, his eyes were tightly closed, and his head was thrown back; his reaction demanded for more entertainment.

"Yeah-" Tony straightened his face, "I don't think so."

Peter immediately stopped laughing when he saw Tony's cold face. His round cheeks turned red, and his eyes began to water as his mouth slowly melted into a pout.

"Oh no no no!" Tony began shaking his head in an effort to keep the boy from crying, "Don't cry!" He tried making faces again, but to no avail.

In seconds, a cry echoed through the once laughter-filled penthouse and tears began running down the burning cheeks of the upset baby. Tony shuddered when the crying became louder.

"Shh, don't be mad at me." Tony quickly sprang up from his seat and cradled the baby close to his reactor to silence his crying, "JARVIS, a little help!"

JARVIS took longer than usual to reply.

" _Perhaps you should try dancing with him, sir._ " The AI responded.

"What the hell, JARVIS?" Tony was practically yelling over the crying, "Does it look like I'm trying to woo the kid? I want him to stop!"

" _I apologize, but I have seen Captain Rogers dance with him before, sir. It usually works."_

"Fine." Tony rolled his eyes, began to sway his body stiffly and held Peter's head closer to his shoulder. Soon, the loud cry died down into stuttered breathing.

"I'll be damned, JARVIS." Tony whispered to himself and sounded slightly surprised, "It worked."

" _I do have experience babysitting you, sir."_

Tony kept his mouth shut as he couldn't come up with a comeback and silently took a seat on the couch. He looked at Peter who was still silently pouting with his fists held closely to his face. Peter's eyes were still watery and puffy, and his chest shook sporadically when his little lungs stuttered with each breath he took.

"What am I gonna do with you now?" Tony looked out the window and into the busy city skyline, "Bedtime?"

Peter shuddered again and lifted his head to look at the man holding him.

"Too early." Tony frowned at the baby, making Peter pout even more and put his head down again, "How 'bout dinner?"

Peter whimpered softly, which startled Tony.

"I'm not hungry either." The inventor stood up again and looked down at the baby, "Wanna go to the lab?" Tony paused as if he was waiting for Peter to respond, "Of course you do! Besides, you got no other choice, kid. JARVIS?"

" _Sir?_ "

"Get Dum-E to bring Peter's carrier into the lab and send a message to Pepper, tell her to come over. And get her to pick up a teddy bear for Peter." Tony ordered as he walked towards the elevator with a smile on his face, "I totally have this babysitting thing down."

" _Of course you do, sir._ " JARVIS responded sarcastically, though Tony didn't pick up on it.

oooOOOooo

Pepper had her arms crossed and a small teddy bear in her hands as she waited for the elevator to reach Tony's lab. She was dressed in her all black office attire and was exhausted from a hard day of managing Stark Industries; she wanted to go home. But when Tony Stark calls, it's a call that can never be put on hold.

"There you are!" Tony turned only his head when the elevator doors opened; revealing a tired-faced Pepper, "Geez… who died?"

"Very funny, Tony." Pepper said unamused as she walked towards Tony and his computer, "Where's Peter?"

"Here." Tony turned around fully; Peter was in Tony's arms and was reaching out for the screen, "Take him."

Before Pepper could react, Tony pushed the baby into Pepper's chest; making Peter whimper. Pepper immediately readjusted Peter so that they were chest to chest, gave him the plush bear, and began to bounce him gently.

"When were you gonna tell me?" Pepper asked her boss.

"Tell you what?"

"That you and Steve made up," the redhead was cross, "and that Steve left you and Peter alone."

"I'm sorry." Tony said sarcastically, "I didn't know that I was obligated to tell you everything about my personal life."

"Tony." Pepper straightened her face, "I don't wanna fight with you today, it's been a long day. Anyways, I'm your _friend_ , so tell me what's going on, okay?"

Tony cringed when he heard her say _friend_ , "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Pepper smiled, "So what do you need me for?"

She stepped closer to Tony to see what he was doing, it was nothing special. Just his usual shenanigans: designing new suits and planning upgrades for his current ones.

"To watch that thing." Tony pointed at Peter, "At first, I just wanted you to get him a toy. Which you did. But then he kept on trying to touch my stuff, and when I'd put him down, he'd start crying."

"You want me to babysit _him_?" Pepper asked annoyedly.

"Eww, you make it sound terrible." Tony looked up from his computer, "Don't make it sound worse that it has to be."

"Look Tony, I've had a long da-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Tony interrupted, "Please Pep. You know I can't take care of him and be _me_ at the same time."

"Fine." Pepper grunted after taking a moment to think, "You owe me, Anthony Stark."

"Whatever, _Virginia_." Tony rolled his eyes, "Just take him upstairs."

"What do I do with him?" Pepper asked as she turned to face the elevator.

"I don't know." Tony shrugged, "He likes attention, so give him that."

"He's just like you." The redhead turned her head as she kept walking to the lift; a smirk was smeared on her face.

"I am nothing like the kid." Tony said out loud as he glared at the woman leaving the lab.

oooOOOooo

"Captain Rogers, we have just entered Wakandan airspace. Estimated time of arrival is 12:23 pm, East Africa Time." A SHIELD agent had walked over to Steve to give him an update on their location.

"Alright." Steve looked up from his sketch book, "What time is it in New York?"

"4:23 am, sir."

"Thank you."

He looked out the window of the airplane and was immediately captivated by the breathtaking landscape below him. Wakanda was teeming with green life, as the valleys and mountains were clothed in layers of grass and trees. In the distance, Steve could see the approaching capital; it's large, ultra-modern and eco-friendly skyline somehow reminded him of Tony. He frowned when he saw a building that was shaped like the Avengers' Tower.

"You alright, Steve?" Natasha patted the captain's shoulder when she walked passed his seat.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Natasha smiled at him warmly then continued to make her way to the lavatory.

Steve looked down at his sketchbook, at his unfinished drawing of Iron Man carrying Peter, and began retracing and shading in the spaces he had already outlined. He focused on making the angles of the suit as sharp and as clean as they were in real life, and made sure to keep the area around the arc reactor a lighter shade of grey.

Peter was smiling in the drawing. His arms were wrapped tightly around Iron Man's neck, and his soft hair looked like it was blowing in the wind. He was drawn softer in comparison to the suit of armour holding him, and the lines around the sketched baby face were rounder and much less pronounced.

"You miss 'em already, huh?" A soft woman's voice asked behind Steve.

"Oh, Nat." Steve quickly covered up his sketchbook and tried to hide his burning red cheeks.

"It's cool, Steve." Natasha said calmly; her hand on his shoulder, "May I?"

Steve smiled nervously and slowly revealed his drawing to his friend. Natasha took the book in her hands and sat down in the empty seat beside Steve.

Her eyes widened immediately as she soaked in the intricate details that Steve had taken the time to draw. She gently touched the page, then looked to her captain.

"This is amazing." She exclaimed but noticed the sadness in Steve's eyes, "What's wrong, Steve?"

Steve took the book back and closed it, "I don't know, I feel like I should've stayed with Tony. I'm a little worried abo-"

A deep rumble sounded from the seat in front them, it was Clint who snoring loudly as he slept; Natasha rolled her eyes.

"I'm a little worried about them." Steve continued after a little chuckle.

Natasha raised one of her eyebrows as an implied _why._

"Tony's never really liked Peter." Steve looked out the window again, "I guess I'm just worried he might not take care of Peter as much as I'd like him to."

Natasha let out a soft sigh before speaking, "Despite what many people think, Tony is a good guy, and he's probably moved on from _hating_ Peter." Steve turned around to look at his friend, "I'm sure he can take care of Peter. He's Iron Man, he can handle it."

Steve smiled; Nat was right. She had worked with Tony in the past, albeit as an undercover SHIELD agent before becoming an Avenger, and she had seen through his annoying and sarcastic veneer. She had seen the genuine care that the man had for _specific_ people, a care for people that he hid from the rest of the world. She also knew that if Steve cared about someone, Tony would care too. Usually.

The woman silently stood up again, "I better get back to my seat, we should be landing soon."

The super-soldier watched as Natasha calmly walked back down the aisle, towards the front of plane. She stopped for a moment at the seat that Clint was snoring in.

"Shut up!" She smacked him on the back of the head; effectively waking him up, "We're landing soon."

Steve was grinning now; he could hear Clint grumble something about making Natasha pay as he rubbed the spot where he was hit.

"Tony can handle it." He said to himself and then laid his head back on the rest behind him.

oooOOOooo

"Oh my god." Tony grumbled as he slowly rolled out of his bed; a loud cry was ringing in his ears. Peter was awake in his crib and was calling for the attention of a sleep Iron Man.

Tony stumbled to the corner of room where Peter was and pressed himself along the edge of the crib walls. He looked down at the baby, picked him up and instinctively began to rock him gently; the way Pepper had taught him a few hours earlier, before she went home.

Tony slowly placed Peter back into the crib when he had stopped crying, only to make the baby scream again when his back had made contact with the sheets that lined the little mattress.

"Argh-" Tony complained but still pulled Peter to his humming chest and draped the baby's little arms around his neck, "What do you want from me?"

Peter snuggled into Tony's round shoulders and quickly fell back asleep. His arms fell from Tony's back and hung near the man's tricep and chest.

"Good, you're asleep." Tony whispered a cheer and leaned over the crib again to put him down.

The baby stayed silent until he was a few inches from the floor of the crib, when he started kicking again; forcing Tony to pull him back up.

"What the-" Tony stopped himself from cursing in front of Peter, "Look. I just want to sleep, okay? Can I please just sleep?"

Peter cooed and then nestled into the space between Tony's jaw and shoulder.

"JARVIS, call Pepper." Tony commanded with a whisper, "I need her to watch Peter again."

" _Sir, I do not suggest calling her at this time."_

"JARV-" Tony's whisper was slightly louder and annoyed, "What time is it?"

" _4:38 am, sir."_ JARVIS answered, " _Would you like me to still call her_?"

"No, don't." Tony grumbled, "Let her sleep. I owe that much."

Tony sat down at the edge of his bed; one hand under Peter's bottom and the other on his back. He silently looked at the blank wall in front of him and listened to the combination of his reactor's hum and Peter's slowed breathing. The room was silent and still enough for Tony to also feel Peter's quick, but faint, heartbeat on his own chest; which helped calm his cranky demeanour.

Tony could feel his eyes get heavy but fought the urge to sleep; he needed to figure out a way to get Peter into the crib without waking him up, but couldn't come up with a plan.

Eventually, the minutes he was awake dragged on for too long and he soon found himself laying on the bed with Peter asleep on his chest. Tony desperately fought to stay awake, but his fatigue got the best of him.

"Tonight only." Tony's voice was raspy, "Okay, kid?"

He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

 **Thank you everyone for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I literally started writing this right after posting the last one, so that's why I was able to get this one out quickly.**

 **I also wanted to give a brief shout out to _Guest of honor_ for always reading and leaving reviews every time I post a new chapter. So thank you _Guest of honor_ for that, I love your input!**

 **Thanks again! And feel free to leave reviews, let me know what you think!**

 **-B**


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 14**

It was almost eleven o'clock when Tony finally woke up from his difficult night of sleeping. His eyes slowly opened as the bright sunlight poured in from the window and onto his face; his ears perked slightly to the hum of the room's air conditioner.

When his eyes were fully opened, Tony looked up at the white ceiling and then turned to the empty side of his bed; a small photo of him and Steve on the bedside table caught his attention. It made him think about his beautiful husband on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and he frowned when he realized he would get no morning kisses.

"What will I have for breakfast?" The sleepy inventor asked himself as he sluggishly sat up against the wall behind his bed, "Maybe Carol has something ready."

Tony scratched his messy bed head and slumped his shoulders as he silently planned his day; he felt a sense of abnormal peace, a peace he hadn't felt for a while.

" _Good morning, sir._ " JARVIS greeted him.

Tony scratched his goatee and then reached down and did the same to his chest, "Morni-" he swallowed his words when his fear had set it, "Holy shit. Peter."

Tony immediately jumped out of his bed in a frenzied panic; he yanked at the covers and threw them onto the carpeted floor. Nothing. He did the same to his pillows. Still nothing. He could feel sweat forming underneath his shirt and his breathing became heavy.

" _Sir, are you alright?_ " JARVIS was concerned, " _Your heart rate has elevated dramati-."_

"Not now JARVIS!" Tony barked; the tension in his voice scared him a little, "Where are you? Steve is gonna kill me."

Tony fell to his knees and lifted the bed frame a few inches to check if the baby had fallen and rolled underneath; Peter wasn't there. The panicked man ran over to the crib, maybe he had placed the baby there in the early hours of the morning and had forgotten.

Again, he wasn't there.

"How the hell did I lose a baby?" Tony pulled at his hair in frustration and anxiety, and continued his desperate search for Peter.

" _Sir._ "

"Not now!" Tony yelled as he ran into the closet and pulled out the hanging clothes, only to find that the little space was empty.

"Why would he be in a closet?" Tony asked himself. He was baffled by his own rare case of stupidity.

Tony sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at the mess he had made; bedsheets, pillows and clothes were scattered on the floor, and almost every closet and drawer had been left open. He rested his face in the palms of his hands and let out a sigh of defeat, he had finally surrendered his search.

" _Mr. Stark, if I may speak._ "

"What?" Tony snapped. But his ears perked when he heard a soft giggle through the closed bedroom door, "Peter?"

" _Sir, if you had let me finish._ "

"Shut up, JARVIS." Tony said as he walked out the door in his pajamas; leaving his mess behind.

Tony quietly crept through the hallway towards the living room. He had stopped sweating but his body was still cold from his moist skin and his own nervousness. Tony pushed forward and he could hear the giggling get louder as he turned the corner to face his couch. His tense shoulders quickly dropped and he let out a silent sigh of relief.

There, in his living room, was a redheaded woman sitting on the couch playfully holding Peter above her head; a wide smile on the baby's face. It was Pepper.

"What the hell, Tony?" He thought to himself; his arms were crossed and he dropped his head in disappointment, "The kid's not even yours."

He looked back up at the woman and child in his living room; Peter had seen him while he was in the air, and his eyes had locked onto Tony's. Pepper didn't notice.

"Uhh, why do you have Peter?" Tony shoved his hands into his pajama pockets and leaned on the wall corner behind him.

"Oh my god!" Pepper jumped up, screamed, and instantly pulled Peter to her chest, "Don't do that!"

Tony smirked at her reaction, "So?"

"I came over early; to check on you and Peter." Pepper sat on the couch again and watched as Tony did the same beside her, "While I waited for you to wake up, he started crying and you wouldn't wake up to get him to stop. So, I went into your room and took him out."

"You went into my room?" Tony sounded playfully offended, "What if I was naked?"

"You and I both know that I've seen you naked before." Pepper laughed, "And with another person in the bed too."

Tony tilted his head in confusion. Pepper had walked in on him and Steve in bed a few times before, be he didn't fully understand the implication.

"Peter was in your bed." Pepper said with a smile.

"No, he wasn't."

"Yes, he was. On your chest too."

"Nuh-uh." Tony stood up and walked towards the kitchen, "You were seeing things, shoulda slept some more."

Pepper readjusted Peter in her arms and kissed him softly on the forehead as the baby snuggled deeper into the woman's arms and let out a quiet yawn. She looked up as Tony re-entered the room with a cup of steaming coffee.

"You made coffee for me?" Tony sipped his hot beverage, "You're so sweet."

"Of course." Pepper turned away, "That's not all, Tony. I got some work done for you too. Now it's your turn."

Tony grunted his displeasure. All he wanted was to stay home, play with his toys, and do nothing else; Pepper ruined his day very early.

"It's Monday, Tony." Pepper scolded him, "You need to work, I can't manage Stark Industries all the time you know."

"Ugh, fine." Tony sat in the armchair across Pepper and Peter, and reached for his tablet on the coffee table, "What do you have for me?"

"Two things. I pushed your meeting with Norman Osborn to one o'clock today, and-"

"Shit." Tony pulled at his hair and looked at the email Pepper had sent an Oscorp representative, "Do I have to meet with him today?"

"You've pushed back your meeting with him for almost two weeks." Pepper looked at Tony sternly, "You need to see him."

"Fine." Tony grumbled and then sipped more of his coffee; he almost spat it out when he read through Pepper's email," You told him I have a kid here? He's not gonna take me seriously now! This is gonna ruin my image."

"Your image, Tony? Really?" Pepper readjusted Peter again, "Mr. Osborn is a professional, Peter's not gonna change that. So don't worry about your _image_ , Mr. Genius-Billionaire-Playboy-Philanthropist. Just go to the meeting and figure out your business plan."

Tony frowned, "What else?"

"Steve called."

"What did he say?" Tony's face immediately lit up at the sound of his husband's name.

"To call him back." Pepper smiled at Tony, "Said he landed a few hours ago and that he wanted to check on _his boys_."

Tony quickly combed his fingers through his messy hair to make himself look presentable and pressed through a series of buttons on his tablet, "JARVIS, call Steve." He looked up at Pepper who flashed him a wink and a warm smile.

" _Dialing Captain Rogers_."

Tony tapped the side of his device as he waited for his husband to receive his call; the seconds he waited felt like an eternity.

"Hey hun!" Steve said cheerfully as his face finally flashed onto the tablet screen.

"Steve!" Tony grinned, "Pepper said you called. I was asleep, so you know. How was your flight?"

"Yeah, she told me." Steve scratched his blond head when he noticed Tony's messy combover, "Flight was great, not much turbulence and I did get some sleep. When Clint was awake, of course." Steve laughed; his perfectly white teeth flashed when the caught the reflection of the lights in the room.

Pepper grinned when she heard Steve laughing on Tony's tablet. She looked down at Peter in her lap who was now smiling too and proceeded to make silly faces with him.

"Where are you?" Tony asked as he admired the complex computer set-up behind his husband.

"We're in the palace, actually." Steve turned around to look at the room behind him; Natasha and Clint were working on one of the units, "It's amazing here, Tony. You'd love it."

Tony smiled, but his eyes frowned, "You've met with T'Challa already? What did he say?"

"Yeah, we met with him as soon as we landed." Steve responded and then turned to fully face his screen again, "Well, he welcomed us with his… What are they called? His _Dora Milaje_. Then he took us into the palace for a meeting, he said he found some evidence that suggests Red Skull is involved here. But that's all we have. Now we have a little down time, trying to catch up on lost sleep."

"Right." Tony nodded, "Well, I guess I better let you rest the-"

"Wait!" Steve interjected, "I wanna see Peter."

Tony looked at Pepper, who instinctively looked up and made eye-contact with Tony. She stood up with Peter and walked over to the armchair that he boss was sitting on, "Wanna say _hi_ to Steve?" She playfully asked the baby in her arms.

Tony took Peter in one hand and held the tablet in the other, "There's Steve, Peter. Say _hi_."

Peter's eyes widened at the sight of the familiar friendly face on the screen. His smile widened as well and he reached out at the tablet as if to touch Steve's face.

"Hi, Peter!" Steve said with a sing-song voice and a wave, "How's taking care of Tony going?"

Tony looked at the baby and felt himself smile, though he didn't know why.

"Tony let him sleep on your bed!" Pepper called from the couch.

"Wha-?" Tony glared at her. His face turned red; a mixture of embarrassment and anger, "I did not!"

The red-faced inventor looked back to his husband, his were eyebrows slightly furrowed and his lips were pursed. His flurry of emotions quickly died down, however, when he noticed that Steve was smiling widely on the screen. Tony let out a sharp breath and the redness in his cheeks faded into his normal hue.

"That's real sweet, Tony." Steve said lovingly, "Thank you."

Tony looked away and blushed, "Don't get used to it Steve. He knows it was only for one night. Right, kid?" He gently lifted Peter; making the baby smile.

"So." Steve said after a few seconds of silence, "Any plans for today?"

"Not really." Tony said; a slight hesitance in his voice, "Just gonna stay home. The usual."

Pepper cleared her throat without looking up from her cellphone, which was now in her hands.

"I have a meeting with Osborn." Tony admitted after flashing a quick glare at his assistant, "It's at one o'clock, though. And it shouldn't take too long."

"What about Peter?" Steve raised one eyebrow; making Tony swoon silently, "Where's he gonna stay?"

"Oh, with Pepper." Tony responded confidently and looked at Pepper, "She'll take good care of him. Right, Pep?"

Pepper looked up from her phone with her mouth opened in disbelief, but she made no comment so not to worry Steve. Tony winked at her before turning to look at Steve again.

Steve chuckled, "Well, I should probably get going. Maybe catch a few winks."

"Alright, call me when you can." Tony said, "Say _bye,_ Peter."

"Bye!" Steve waved at the smiling baby, "Bye, Tony. Love you."

"Love you too, Cap."

The screen turned black as Steve ended the call. Tony felt himself frown a bit, but he could hear little Peter giggling away in his lap.

"That was sweet." Pepper looked up from her phone with a warm smile on her face. "Tony?" She noticed that the man was frowning at Peter, so she stood up to walk nervously to the two, "Tony?" She asked again

Tony looked upset but said nothing for a while.

"Take him, Pepper." He finally spoke as he held the baby out to the woman, "I gotta go eat."

Pepper immediately took the boy and watched Tony stand up, "What about him?" She called out to Tony as he walked back into the kitchen.

"Who?" Tony replied as he stuck his head into the refrigerator, "Peter?"

"Yes, Peter."

"Oh, he's got formula in here." Tony closed the metallic fridge door and turned around to see that Pepper and Peter were now behind him.

Pepper's right eyebrow was arched high and both of her hands were wrapped tightly around the baby.

"Oh? You think I'm gonna make it?" Tony asked sarcastically, "You're gonna have to make it yourself." He walked away with a cold donut in his mouth and one hand waving in the air, "I've got to prep for my meeting with Osborn."

"I'm surprised you can stand him." Pepper said to Peter who flashed another smile at her, "C'mon, let's get you some breakfast."

* * *

 **Hello everyone! First off, I just wanted to apologize for taking so long to update. School got real busy again and I suffered from a severe case of writers' block (glad that's over now). Anyways, thank you so much for reading! I'm not super happy about how this chapter ended, but I love the first half, hope you did too!** **Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next chapter out soon.**

 **Please feel free to leave reviews and let me know what you think! I love reading what you have to say and I love getting notifications from you guys. It really pushes me to keep writing. I really love being able to create stuff you like reading!**

 **Until next time,**

 **-B**


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 15**

"Alright, Tony." Happy pulled a sleek, black coat over his boss' shoulders, "Good luck up there. It's just another meeting with another company. You got this, boss."

"I don't need a pep-talk, Happy." Tony scoffed as he readjusted the sunglasses on his nose; he saw Happy frown a bit, "Thank you, though."

Happy lightly nodded as a response.

"I got this." Tony whispered to himself.

Tony walked through the sliding doors of Stark Industries NYC and was immediately greeted by a strikingly attractive blonde receptionist; he ignored her _good morning_. He briskly walked past the front desk, stepped into an empty elevator and pushed a button to take him to his board room on the top floor.

As the lift began to slowly move upwards, Tony pulled his phone out of his pocket to check for any notifications from Pepper, who he had left with Peter back at the tower. Nothing, thankfully.

"JARVIS." He said into his device, "I want everything you can find on Norman Osborn and Oscorp."

" _Does that include information on his personal life, sir?"_

"No." Tony said coldly, "I just want anything business related."

JARVIS paused for a second as he scanned the internet for information.

" _Oscorp Industries is a multi-billion dollar, multinational corporation which was founded and is currently run by CEO Norman Osborn. It appears that Oscorp's main focus is on biochemistry, cross-species genetics and nanotechnology."_

"Explains the partnership." Tony grumbled as he scratched his chin.

" _Norman Osborn plans on using his research to further advance studies in the field of medicine and hopes to soon cure heart and brain diseases as well as eradicate cancer."_

"What an angel! Nobel Prize for him." Tony said sarcastically and rolled his eyes in annoyance, "What do you have on him?"

" _Mr. Osborn studied chemistry and electrical engineering in college and is a self-proclaimed workaholic. He has one son and-"_

"Don't wanna hear it, JARVIS." Tony interrupted.

" _My apologies, sir._ "

Tony slid his phone back into his pocket and leaned against the glass that displayed the New York skyline. He quickly brushed his hair back and let out a sigh before taking a deep breath. Tony was never nervous about meeting with other people and businesses, but something about Norman Osborn made him feel strangely uneasy. Something that Tony could not determine, yet.

"Geez." Tony sighed again, "This elevator is so damn slow. Send a message to a technician, JARVIS. I want this elevator to move faster."

" _Right away, sir._ "

Tony jumped slightly when he felt a small vibration against his thigh. He quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket again; he had received a text from Pepper: _Peter's crying. IDK what to do…_

The businessman grumbled and replied with an _OK_ as the elevator bell rang, notifying him that he had reached his floor.

Stepping out the elevator, Tony could see a middle aged man sitting at the meeting table through the glass walls of the board room. His thinning brown hair was slicked back perfectly and his ears looked unusually pointy; but Tony didn't think too much about it. He pushed forward through the walkway towards the room and watched as Osborn turned to see him approach the door; Stark Industries employees scurried around him.

"There he is! Iron Man himself, the legendary, Anthony Stark." Norman Osborn stood up from his seat and walked to the open glass door as a sign of politeness when Tony walked into the silent board room. He rubbed at his green silk tie and reached out to shake his potential business partner's hand, "It's a pleasure… to meet you."

Tony pulled his sunglasses off and then shook Osborn's hand; he was surprised at the man's firm grip; though he tried to hide it. He watched as Osborn briskly flattened his smooth black coat and then sit in one of the many empty chairs at the table.

"Alright, Mr. Stark." Norman Osborn said as Tony took a seat across the table from him; a plastic tone came through his lips as he spoke, "Thank you for meeting with me. You don't know how excited we are at Osc-."

"Why don't we just skip the formalities, Mr. Osborn." Tony interjected, "I've had a long night. So please, let's just get straight to business."

"Very well." Osborn leaned back into his chair and laughed slightly; a shocking mix of a chuckle and soft cackle. He picked up his tablet from the table, scrolled through his notes and proceeded to press a series of buttons, "As you must already know, Oscorp Industries is a leading company in chemical and genetic research."

His tone was much more serious now.

Osborn pressed his tablet one final time and projected his notes onto a blank screen that hung from the ceiling of the room. Tony leaned back and crossed his arms; he prepared himself for another boring meeting.

"We hope to use our data to enhance today's medical field." Osborn continued, "It is our hope to one day cure cancer, as well as fatal heart conditions and neurodegenerative diseases."

Tony felt his body prepare to yawn; this was stuff he already knew. So he placed his index finger on his lips and spoke to hide his boredom, "What does Stark Industries have to do with curing diseases?"

"Well you see," Osborn swiped left on his tablet to change the projected image; from his notes to a drawn out blueprint of a nanobot, "Stark Industries is a powerhouse when it comes to technology, and we would like to partner with you to design these nanobots. We plan on programming these bots to fight cancer cells and hopefully completely remove them from a human body."

The two businessmen sat quietly for a moment as Tony formulated what to say in his tired head. Osborn smiled professionally as he waited; he had entered the meeting with an understanding of Tony's _unorthodox_ business practices. So he had a vague idea of what to expect.

"What is in it for us?" Stark pulled his hands away from his mouth, "Let's say I agree to help you out. You get the nanobots and you manage to cure cancer. What does my company get out of this hypothetical partnership?"

Osborn smirked, "You, Tony Stark, and Stark Industries will be credited for helping Oscorp with this endeavor. You," the man pointed at Tony, "will be known as a member of the team that cured cancer. And I promise, your company will earn the same benefits that mine will. If this is successful of course."

"Equal benefits and rewards?" Tony leaned forward onto the table, "I'm assuming that means equal tax obligations and spending for both companies."

"Of course." Osborn replied, "But you must remember that this partnership will benefit us all. You want that, don't you?"

Tony placed his finger onto his lips again as he took a moment to think about the proposal. He definitely was not ready to make any deal with Oscorp just yet; he needed to find out more about his potential partner. He needed more time to decide.

"Thank you, Mr. Osborn." Tony broke his silence; shocking Osborn a bit, "I will speak to my assistant and board and will let you know what we have decided."

Osborn looked surprised. This meeting had been pushed back for weeks and was now ending in less than thirty minutes; Osborn did not prepare himself for this.

"Of course." The Oscorp CEO stood up to shake Tony's hand, "Take all the time you need."

Tony walked around to table and shook the man's hand again; this time, he was prepared for the grip. Osborn's smile, however, was a little unnerving.

"One man to another," Osborn said as he pulled his hand back and leaned a little closer to Tony, "don't let kids ruin you."

Tony raised an eyebrow in a combination of shock and curiosity.

"Ms. Potts told me about your son." Osborn continued, "I got one at home too. They can be a real joy but a real pain, too. Don't let that affect your company. That's what your wife… uh husband… is for."

"He's not my son." Tony sounded offended.

"Oh? Sorry, I just assumed that-"

"It's fine, Osborn." Stark looked away; an unusual nervousness overcame him.

"Who is he then?"

"He's…" Tony thought about what to say and was careful not to reveal the child's relations with SHIELD, "We're just taking care of him for a while."

"Right." Osborn nodded suspiciously and reached for a business card from his breast pocket, "Let me know what you've decided."

Tony nodded and smiled slightly as his counterpart turned around and walked through the glass doors. Osborn accidentally but gently bumped into a young intern; making her drop her papers onto the floor. He politely helped her pick them up and then stepped into the elevator; he smiled eerily at Tony as the doors slid closed.

oooOOOooo

Tony looked up from his phone as the elevator doors to his penthouse opened. He could see through the windows at the end of the hallway that the sky was turning into its vibrant orange hue. He quietly walked through the silent penthouse, his feet dragged and his arms hung low at his sides; it was a long day at work.

When Tony reached the living room, he dropped himself onto his couch and rested his feet on the glass coffee table in front of him. His eyes were closed, but he could still see some of the red and orange sun through his eyelids.

"Welcome home, Tony." A voice greeted him, "How was the meeting?"

Tony's eyes immediately opened and his eyebrows furrowed. He turned around to see Pepper standing behind him; he grumbled when he saw her, "It was fine. Where's Peter?"

"He's taking a nap" Pepper crossed her arms, "How was the meeting?"

"I didn't sign a deal with him, yet. If that's what you're asking." Tony watched his friend walk around the couch and sit next to him.

"What's wrong? We've had meetings with his representatives before." Pepper said seriously, "Did he say something to you?"

"No." Tony looked out the window, "There's just something about him. I need more time to decide."

"You better decide soon." Pepper sounded like she was lecturing him, "The board'll get tired of waiting. They might-"

"What?" Tony looked at his assistant, "Fire me? They can try but they know they need me."

Pepper laughed; Tony was right. No one on the board was as brilliant or creative as Tony Stark was. No matter how hard anyone tried, no one could compare the genius son of Howard Stark.

"So, what's for dinner?" Tony placed his hand on his stomach, "I am famished."

"Well, I invited Bruce and Carol to eat dinner here. They went to pick up some Chinese take-out, should be here soon." Pepper responded.

"You invited them for dinner in _my_ penthouse?" Tony scoffed while he stood up from the couch and then walked into the kitchen. Pepper followed with an amused smile on her face; her high heels clicked loudly on the floor.

"You don't mind, right?" Pepper asked as she leaned over one of the island counters.

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Tony asked as he poured himself a glass of water, "How was Peter?" He changed the topic.

"He was pretty good." Pepper smiled; it made her happy that Tony was thinking about the baby, "I've got no complaints. That boy is an angel."

"Sure he is." Tony rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Tony." Pepper leaned into the rest of her chair, "Peter's so sweet…"

"Your text says otherwise." Tony laughed as he sipped out of his glass, "How'd you deal with that, by the way?"

"JARVIS helped me out." Pepper responded, "He told me to dance with him, like you do. It worked." The red-haired woman laughed softly.

Tony choked on his water in disgust which made Pepper laugh more.

"Oh, would you just stop pretending." Pepper said playfully as she gradually silenced her loud laughter. Her eyes were locked firmly onto Tony's; who wasn't looking back at her.

"Pretending?" Tony sipped more water to soothe his now itchy throat.

"That you hate Peter." Pepper teased, "Let's face it. You kinda love him, don't you?"

Tony coughed on his water again; he was surprised that Pepper had the audacity to say that to his face, "You're gonna kill me." He said with a strained voice in between his deep coughs.

Putting down his now empty glass, Tony looked into Pepper's emerald green eyes; he could tell that she was being serious now. Her voice sounded like she was joking, but the way her eyes lost their usual glimmer made it evident that she was seeing through his touch exterior. Sure, Tony would carry Peter, he would hold him when he cried, feed him when we was hungry, and made sure that the baby was safe and comfortable in the penthouse, but did that mean Tony actually loved him? What did Pepper see them do that made her think that way? Tony was at a loss for words.

Tony's body froze where he stood and he let Pepper's glare burn into his skin; he stuttered when he tried to come up with a comeback.

"Relax." Pepper chuckled, "I'm just messin' with you."

Tony let out a deep breath.

The pair heard the elevator doors open and a ruffling of what sounded like paper; it was Bruce and Carol carrying brown bags of their Chinese dinner.

"Hey guys!" Carol cheerfully said as she placed the bags on the counter; a sweet and spicy aroma drifted from the food and into the open space they were in, "Sorry we took so long. They were in the middle of their dinner rush so we-"

"It's fine Carol." Pepper reassured her with a greeting hug, "Tony? Could you?" She pointed to the bags as she continued her little conversation with Captain Marvel.

Tony grumbled at first, but then did as Pepper had asked. He pulled the foam containers out of the bags and placed them on the table; his stomach rumbled a bit when the fragrant noodles were pulled out of the final paper bag.

"So." Bruce said as he placed some plates and chopsticks onto the dining table, "How was your meeting? Sign the deal yet?"

"No, not yet." Tony responded, "I want to do some research on Osborn. Something about him gives me the creeps."

Bruce nodded, but said nothing else.

"Well guys," Pepper spoke up when she noticed that the table was set for dinner, "I think it's time to eat! Thanks for picking all of this up, by the way."

Carol smiled at her as the four sat around the table and began eating their dinner.

"Bruce!" Pepper said happily, "How are things? It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Surprised that he was being spoken to, Bruce covered his full mouth politely and nodded his agreement. "Yeah, it has." Bruce swallowed his food, "And things are okay. I guess."

"How's Jennifer?" Pepper asked, prompting Carol to look at Bruce too.

"She's great." Bruce nodded again, "She just reopened her law firm, so that's good."

"That's nice." The red-haired woman smiled and then took another bite of food, "Has she had to go up against Nelson and Murdoch yet?"

"No?" Bruce chuckled, "I don't think so."

As Tony took another bite of his noodles, a muffled cry rang through the penthouse; it was Peter in the bedroom. Tony eyed around the table to see if any of his friends had heard Peter, hoping that no one did. Pepper cleared her throat when Tony swallowed what he was chewing; the man looked up at her sluggishly.

"You should go check on him, _dad_." Pepper teased again, making Carol and Bruce chuckled over their food.

"Fine." Tony grumbled and shuffled through the penthouse, towards the bedroom.

The crying grew louder as Tony inched closer to the door. His eyebrows were furrowed, as usual, and he had a very clear frown on his face. Tony gently pushed the door open; the cry became a shriek and Tony cringed as the loud noise rang in his ear.

He quietly moved closer to Peter, who was squirming around in his crib; his hand was waving frantically underneath his blanket.

"Hey," Tony whispered as he reached down for the blanket, "I'm here, don't cry."

He pulled the blanket off.

"What the-" Tony's eyes opened wide.

Peter's eyes were like running taps, his cheeks were burning red and he kicked at the teddy bear at his feet. But what really shocked Tony was the pacifier that was in Peter's hand. None of his fingers were wrapped around it; the only part of Peter touching the pacifier was his open palm.

* * *

 **And I'm back! I'm so sorry I took so long to post this chapter, and I don't have an excuse. So please forgive me. But anyways, this chapter is pretty long and I hope you didn't find it boring, especially the meeting with Osborn. There's a lot of set up in this chapter, did you get that very last bit with Peter? ;)**

 **I just wanted to know if anyone picks up on the little references I put into my chapters. I've added some in previous ones before, and I just wanted to see if you guys got them. Let me know if you like 'em and if you'd like to see more of that stuff!**

 **Finally, thank you so so so much for reading and leaving your reviews. Again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope to have more soon, hopefully in less than a week (no promises though).**

 **-B**


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 16**

"What the-" Tony froze as he felt the words slide through his open mouth. His eyes were wide and without thinking, he reached for the crying infant in front of him, "The thing must be pinching him somewhere." He thought to himself.

Peter's eyes were shut very tightly and his cheeks were flushed with red. His tears continuously poured down his face as he frantically waved the pacifier that was involuntarily attached to his little palm. Peter's cries for help intensified; he didn't realize that Tony was standing directly above him.

Thinking quickly and desperately wanting Peter to stop crying, Tony attempted to calm the baby down with his voice and by gently rubbing his smooth forehead with one hand. Tony then reached for the pacifier with the other.

"Hey, hey, hey." The man whispered calmly as he placed his fingers around the pacifier; Peter's crying died to a whimper when he heard Tony's soothing voice, "I'm here."

Still touching Peter's delicate forehead, Tony carefully tugged on the pacifier, but was stunned when Peter's soft hand followed it where he pulled. It was giving unwanted resistance.

"What the hell?" Tony grumbled as he pulled the soother again; making Peter wince. Still nothing. "Okay, kid. You gotta work with me here. Just let-" He pulled a little harder.

"Go. Woah!" The man lost his footing and fell a few steps backwards when the pacifier finally came off of Peter's hand. Tony took a closer look at the little object in his hand and tugged at his wavy hair in confusion, "How did that-"

Without finishing his thoughts, Tony proceeded to walk a few steps closer to the crib and peered over the railing that protected the baby. Peter was desperately gasping for air as his little lungs attempted to recover from his screaming. His eyes were puffy and his cheeks were moist from the shower of tears that fell onto them. Tony carefully picked Peter up and cradled him close to his chest.

"I got you, kid." Tony whispered into the side of the baby's head; his soft brown hair ruffled slightly as the warm air from Tony's lips brushed by, "We should probably take a look at your little sucker, huh? JARVIS, remind me to take a look at it when everyone's gone, okay?"

" _Of course, sir."_

Peter cooed into Tony's shoulder, making the man crack a slight smile.

Tony started to gently rock the baby in his arms as he waited for Peter's breathing to return to its relaxed state. The lights of the room were off, but Tony watched as the sun continued its descent into the horizon behind New York City. The warm orange sky in the window mixed with Peter's pitter-patter heartbeat was unusually relaxing for Tony; he felt himself smile again when Peter's stuttered breathing had finally stopped.

"Tony?" A woman's voice asked quietly through the crack of the doorway, "Is everything alright?"

The man instantly felt his legs turn to iron as the soft voice entered his ears. He stopped swaying for a second when what felt like embarrassment replaced his tranquility. Peter cooed his disapproval; he really wanted to dance some more.

"Yeah." Tony responded with a slightly nervous tone; he realized was Pepper, "I think so. I'll be out soon."

"Okay." Pepper whispered, closed the door, and then walked back to the dining room.

Peter murmured again when he heard the door slide shut, forcing Tony to sway his hips again to prevent the baby from crying.

"Okay, kid." Tony whispered, "You ready to go outside?" He paused as if he was waiting for an answer, "Cool. Let's go."

Holding Peter's head against his warm shoulder, Tony quietly opened the bedroom door and smoothly walked back towards the dining room. Peter pulled his fists to his face as his hazel eyes were forced to quickly adjust from the warm sunlight to the cold fluorescent lights of the penthouse.

"There he is!" Carol called out happily when she saw the baby in Tony's arms.

Tony put his index finger to his lips as a message of silence and then took his seat at the head of the table.

"Sorry." Carol lowered her voice, "Is he okay?"

"I think so." Tony thought about telling his friends what he saw in the bedroom, "He's just a little cranky from waking up. You know?"

He decided not to.

Carol nodded and gently rubbed the baby's back.

"Do you want me to take him?" Pepper asked as she extended her hands towards Tony, "So you can eat your dinner?"

"Please." Tony nodded slightly and readjusted his arms so that Pepper could squeeze her way through to Peter's sides.

When Pepper's hands touched Peter's soft torso, the baby let out a soft cry, startling the woman who pulled her arms back in shock. Carol and Bruce chuckled in their seats.

"Looks like he wants his _daddy_." Bruce teased.

"C'mon, kid!" Tony grumbled as he felt his stomach do the same, "Just go to Pepper."

Peter let out another cry.

"Ugh, fine." Tony said despite Pepper's persistence to hold the boy, "Pepper! It's fine, I'll hold him."

"Alright, alright." The red-haired woman held her hands out in defense and then leaned back into her seat, "Sorry, _dad._ "

Carol and Bruce laughed as Tony scooped some of his food into his mouth; his cheeks turned an unusual shade of red.

"Don't get used to it, kid." He said as he discreetly smiled at Peter, which then turned into a smirk to his friends.

oooOOOooo

"What do you got for me, JARVIS?" Tony asked his AI as he carefully scanned the pacifier with his tired eyes.

" _There is nothing visibly wrong with his pacifier, sir."_ JARVIS responded.

"What the hell happened in there then?" Tony grumbled as he looked up at the holographic projection of baby Peter.

Tony scratched his chin and thought hard about what may have caused the pacifier to stick to Peter's hand. There was no adhesive on the pacifier, nor were there any parts that may have pinched onto the baby. Tony was lost.

He yawned as he sat down in one of his lab chairs. It was early in the morning now and Tony had been working in his lab for a couple hours, desperately trying to find his results. Peter was sleeping in the Avengers' floor with Bruce and Carol, after Carol had asked Tony if they could have a _sleepover_ with the baby.

"JARVIS." Tony stood up again and picked the pacifier off of the lab bench again, "Do you think there is enough trace saliva on that thing to scan?"

" _Sir?"_ The English voice asked, " _What are you thinking?"_

Tony remembered what he and Bruce had discovered a few days earlier, that Peter's DNA had experienced a significant change since his exposure to gamma radiation. He thought that Peter's DNA could provide some answers. Tony just needed to be sure.

"Just scan it, okay?" Tony snapped, still cranky from his lack of sleep.

" _Of course, sir. But the analysis may take a few minutes. Perhaps you should take a nap?"_

"It's fine." Tony placed the soother onto one of the scanners he had installed in one of the bench tops, "I can wait."

" _Initializing DNA scan._ " A loading bar appeared in place of Peter's face.

Sitting back down in his seat, Tony crossed his arms and stared into his open laboratory and waited silently for his results. The moving streak of light that projected from the scanner caught his attention and his focus instantly shifted onto pacifier; onto the crazy idea that Peter may actually be _sick_.

Tony didn't blink, and thought that something might be wrong with the baby did not sit well with him. Sure, he wanted to get rid of Peter, but he's just a kid, a baby no less. No baby deserved the problem of being a mutant. "But he's not a mutant, right?" Tony thought to himself as he tugged at his wavy hair, "He's no Charles Xavier. He can't be."

Finally feeling his eyes sting, Tony closed his eyelids. But his ears perked when he heard the elevator doors behind him slide open; a faint whimper slowly pouring into the room. It was a messy-haired Bruce, and a teary-eyed Peter.

"Bruce? You're up early." Tony exclaimed as his lab partner approached him.

"Yeah." Bruce grumbled when he reached his seated friend, "Take him back."

He handed Peter over to a reluctant Tony.

"Aww." Tony playfully frowned, "Did wittle Peter keep you up?"

"Yeah." Bruce grunted, "I don't get how you do it."

"I told you." Tony turned his chair around to face his scanner, "The boy is a pain."

Bruce opened his mouth as if to speak, but only a weak groan came out, "I wouldn't say he's a _pain_. But Carol was getting annoyed with his crying last night."

Tony chuckled, "Sure…"

"I blame Carol for all of this. What you working on?" Bruce brushed his curly hair over with his hand. He had noticed that one of the scanners was on, and the pacifier was on it, "Is something wrong with it?"

"Long story, bud." Tony turned his seat around again; his voice was raspy, "But I just need to make sure that there's _nothing_ wrong."

Bruce raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

" _DNA scan is complete._ "

The two men looked up at the screen of results that JARVIS had automatically projected in front of them. On it was a diagram of one of Peter's DNA strands, as well as a list of various chemical components that JARVIS had detected.

"What did you find?" Tony asked his AI eagerly.

" _Sir, it appears as though-"_

"The radiation has mutated Pet-" Bruce's mumbled reading interrupted JARVIS, "What the hell, Tony?"

A steady and loud beep rang from the scientist's heart rate monitor. Bruce felt his heart beat faster as a wave of fear hit him hard and the veins on his neck turned into a scary shade of green. His fear of another Hulk may have come to fruition.

"Bruce?" Tony tried to calm his friend down, "Nothing's wrong with Peter, okay?" He instantly pushed a button to hide the holographic screen.

" _Dr. Banner, your heart rate has elevated dramati-"_

"Tony?" Bruce's deep voice rumbled in his throat, "What do you mean _nothing's wrong_? JARVIS just said that he's been changed! That he's been mutated!"

"Woah, Bruce." Tony was standing up now and protectively holding Peter to his chest. The baby's whimpers had now turned into a soft cry and the pair were slowly inching away from the Hulk, "Take a deep breath, first. Then we'll talk."

Bruce shook his head violently in an effort to stop the _green guy_ and proceeded to take deep breaths, just as his nervous friend had told him to. The beeping slowed down into nothing, and the green hue on his neck eventually faded as Bruce returned to being Bruce Banner.

"You good?" Tony asked nervously with one hand behind him, reached into one of the drawers of Bruce's work bench.

"Yeah." Bruce leaned onto the counter; his forehead was moist with sweat and his hands felt cool and clammy. He looked up at a visibly terrified Tony Stark and looked down in shame, "Sorry, I didn't mean to… I just… I got nervous."

"Yeah, yeah." Tony slowly slid his thumb off of a syringe that Bruce had hidden in his drawer. He let out a gentle sigh of relief as his tense shoulders finally relaxed.

"What are you gonna do?" Bruce asked, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand, "About Peter?"

"JARVIS?" Tony reactivated the hologram and turned to look at the results, "What do you think?"

" _It appears that Peter's 'mutation' is very minor. His DNA does indicate that the gene for hair growth is still being expressed at abnormal rates. And from what I can see now, there are very fine hairs on the palms of his hands."_ JARVIS responded, " _Perhaps they may be the cause of the events last night."_

Bruce looked up at Tony; his eyebrows raised to ask an unspoken question.

"His hands got stuck to the pacifier last night." Tony turned from the screen to face his friend, "At first, I thought it was the pacifier. So I got JARVIS to check it, but I got nothing. And now, these scans say it's actually Peter."

"Are you gonna try and fix this?" Bruce asked; his shoulders still slightly tense.

"I think so." Tony responded, "If these effects are happening now, we should end it now, before anyone gets hurt. And I mean, look at how you just reacted. Better be safe than sorry."

"Yeah," Bruce agreed; his voice still sounded embarrassed, "he's still small, so any new effects should take a while to become physical. So we have time to find a cure."

"Good." Tony nodded, "Let's get started then. The sooner we start, the better."

Bruce smiled. He was excited to finally start a new project with his friend and lab partner. Peter, however, whimpered again and snuggled closer into Tony's shoulder as if he was afraid of what was going to happen.

" _Sir, Captain Rogers is on the line for you._ "

"Put him through in the penthouse. I'll be there in a sec." Tony ordered as he shrugged at a silent Bruce and proceeded to walk to the elevator.

"You're gonna tell him now, right? Tell Steve?" Bruce called out as he watched Tony walk into the lift, "And SHIELD?"

Tony ignored the questions at first. He stepped into the elevator and turned around to look at his friend, "SHIELD, yes. Steve, no."

The doors slid shut as Tony's final _no_ wisped through the lab. Bruce shook his head in disapproval as he turned to read the data that JARVIS had collected.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! I am so sorry this chapter took so long to post. I haven't been feeling super inspired this week, so the writing process became a struggle. And as a result, this chapter went through a lot of re-writes and very thorough editing. However, I am still not super happy with this one, but I really wanted to get something out this week for you guys to read. So I hope you liked it!**

 **I also just want to thank everyone for all of the reads/follows/favorites! We made it to 81 followers this week! That is so amazing and it makes me so happy that you guys enjoy the stuff I put out for you. Thank you so very much!**

 **Finally, this may seem a little random, but did you guys see the _Captain America: Civil War_ trailer yesterday? I literally screamed out loud when I saw Spidey, think I scared my brother too... I am so excited! Tony, Steve and Peter will finally be in the same movie! **

**Until next time,**

 **-B**


	17. Chapter 17

**I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 17**

"Mr. Stark will be with you in a moment, sir." JARVIS spoke through the holographic screen in front of Captain America.

"Alright." Steve nodded, "Thank you, JARVIS."

Steve scanned the quinjet around him with his blue eyes. He and his team were no longer in the Wakandan Palace, nor were they in the capital; they were now in the air, continuing their investigation on the attacks on the Wakandan people; new leads had given them details about the possible whereabouts of the Red Skull. Steve's seat shook when the plane experienced a quick burst of turbulence.

"C'mon, Tony." Steve grumbled under his breath; this was the only time he'd be able to call Tony for a while and all he wanted was to look into his husband's deep brown eyes before his mission finally became serious.

" _Connecting to Mr. Anthony Stark_." The screen updated as JARVIS spoke.

"Hey, hun!" Tony said happily when his face flashed onto the screen; Peter was in his arms and the man was still in his pajamas, "How's your trip?"

Steve felt his lips curl into a smile at the sight of his husband voluntarily holding the baby, "It's not too bad, _yet._ " The words seared his lips, "We're headed out of Wakanda right now, actually. What time is it over there?"

"Ahh, sounds fun. It's seven-ish here. You got a new lead?" Tony asked as he readjusted Peter so that the baby's chest was resting directly on his shoulder; Peter was facing away.

"Yeah." Steve grunted; the quinjet shook again, "Fury thinks Red Skull is stealing Wakandan tech to start his own _Project Insight_. We've just entered Somalia."

Tony chuckled at the sight of his husband shaking on the screen, "Damn."

" _Language_ , Tony." Steve scolded, "Not in front of the baby!"

Clint chuckled a bit as he continued to pilot the plane, making the super-soldier smile again.

"I'm guessing the bombings were a distraction?" Tony asked.

"Looks like it." Steve nodded seriously, "Enough of this boring stuff, how are you and Peter?"

Tony opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself before letting his thoughts come pouring out; he had to be very careful about what he was going to say next. The last thing he wanted was a slip of the tongue, a slip that could ruin the mission for his husband. Steve was a pretty sensitive guy, and any bad news about Peter would crush his muscular but tender heart. Steve raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yeah." Tony scratched the back of his ear with the hand that wasn't holding Peter; his voice sounded a little nervous, "We're doing great! Right, kid?"

Tony turned the child around so Steve could see his face; effectively covering his own face, which was now turning a shade of red. The super-soldier smiled as Peter reached out for the screen to touch his face; something the baby did whenever they were on a video call together.

"That's good to hear!" Steve said with a slight sense of suspicion; Tony never scratched his ear that way, something felt wrong, "Is he sleeping?"

"Pft- no." Tony rolled his eyes, "Then again, who can actually sleep in the same room as me? I've heard that I can keep people up all night." He said with a wink.

"Shut up, Tony." Natasha yelled into the screen from her seat.

Steve chuckled on the outside, but his mind was focused on Tony's body language and voice, "Please don't." His voice sounded playfully disgusted, "So besides that, nothing's wrong over there?"

Tony froze again as his thoughts went into a wild spin of excuses, reasons, and means to change the topic, "No, Steve. Nothing's wrong here!" He flashed a fake smile; his husband didn't pick up on it, "Oh! Love the suit!" He attempted the change the subject, "Who are you wearing?"

"I'm wearing the latest from Stark." Steve flashed a smirk.

"Looks great on you, babe. How's it feel?"

"Well, haven't gotten around to using it just yet." Steve responded, "But I think today's the day."

"Let me know how it goes, okay?"

"Or course." Steve smiled innocently; his bright blue eyes shimmered in the lights of the quinjet's cabin.

Tony froze again. Not from having nothing to say, but from his admiring of his husband's perfect face. Steve's eyes were so vivid on Tony's side of the video call and were as blue as the African sky that the super-soldier was suspended in. A wisp of his soft blond hair fell gently on the side of his forehead; and Tony could feel himself melt in his pajamas.

"I lov-" Steve started to speak again.

Another bump hit the airplane, interrupted Steve, and shook him in his seat; making Peter giggle at the screen. Steve felt himself smiling now too, until his video of Tony and Peter began to glitch.

"Steve?" Tony was concerned, "Is everything okay there?"

"Yeah, I think-" The video began to freeze, "Tony? Tony?!"

"Ste-? St-? Ar- you there?" Tony's voice was breaking in between the jolts of static that rang in Steve's earpiece.

The screen finally went black and the quinjet shook again, a lot harder than before; it definitely was not turbulence.

"Steve! Nat!" Clint called from the cockpit, "Something's firing at us. I can't shake it."

Natasha grunted as she pulled the harness of the jet seat around her, "Hold on, Cap!"

Steve nodded at the woman and pulled his mask over his face; a blend of fear and adrenaline overcame him as his eyes tightly closed when the plane continued to shake violently.

The lights of the cabin began to flicker until they became a steady and alarming red. The many panels and consoles that lined the metallic walls of the plane were beeping uncontrollably as the bird desperately fought to stay in the air.

A powerful boom rang through the cabin as its posterior end was blasted off of the plane. Anything that wasn't strapped down was instantly pulled out into the spinning blue void outside. The thick, black smoke that trailed the quinjet streaked the pristine sky as the plane began its spiral fall towards the African soil below it.

"We're going down, guys!" Clint yelled desperately, "Mayday, mayday, mayday." He spoke into his headset, "This is SHIELD Quinjet 1. We've been hit by an unknown ballistic; we're going down in Somali airspace. One thousand feet and descending!"

Natasha looked to her side and saw the large opening at the back of the plane; the smoke blocking out any natural light from entering the cabin.

"Cap! Your shield!" The woman struggled to point at the round shield that was shaking in the seat next to Steve; her red hair flew wildly around her face and her voice was muffled in the sounds of the screaming jet engines and ringing alerts.

Steve forced his right arm up, towards the shield that was now being pulled into the vacuum at the back end of the plane. He grunted when it finally latched onto his magnetized armband.

"Brace!" Clint called out again, but he too was drowned out by the chaos that ensued around the team.

Steve's eyes closed when the quinjet shook one last time and finally struck the ground.

oooOOOooo

"Steve? Steve?! Are you there?" Tony desperately yelled at the hologram in front of him. His heart was pounding fast beneath his reactor and he felt his hands shake uncontrollably around Peter's body.

The screen went black and then disappeared.

"Damnit!" Tony cursed out loud as he turned around in frustration, "Sorry, kid." He said to the baby when Peter jumped in his arms.

Tony threw himself onto the couch in front of him and held Peter tightly against his chest in an effort to calm himself down. Peter began babbling into Tony's ear and his warm drool tickled the man, but Tony was still tense.

With his cold hands still around Peter, Tony began to slow his breathing and focused on the baby-soft heart beating on the top of his shoulder. He put his nose on the top of Peter's head and instinctively kissed the baby; prompting Peter to flash a toothless grin at him.

"Yeah kid, I know." Tony grunted at the baby, "JARVIS? Locate Steve."

" _Locating Captain Rogers._ " The AI responded immediately.

Tony waited silently for his Stark Industries satellites to pinpoint his husband's location. In the eternal seconds he waited, Tony stood up again and began nervously pacing the room.

" _I apologize, sir. But your satellites cannot locate Captain Rogers._ "

Tony froze in front of one of the large windows and stared into the city, "What do you mean you can't locate him?" He barked at the ceiling.

Peter shuddered at the sound of Tony's booming voice and let out a soft cry as he snuggled deeper in the space between Tony's neck and shoulder.

"Sorry." Tony lowered his voice again, "JARVIS?"

" _Sir, it appears as if Captain Rogers' locater is offline._ " JARVIS responded, " _Perhaps it was damaged._ "

"Damnit." Tony whispered, "Send a message to Hill. Tell her to get her ass over here right now."

Tony had already told JARVIS to contact SHIELD while he made his way up from the laboratory and into his penthouse. His initial reason was to ask for some much needed help with Peter's _condition._ But now, he needed them to find his husband and two friends.

" _Sir, you've already requested that she come here. Perhaps you should-_ "

"Message her, JARVIS!" Tony barked again and interrupted his assistant, "And get Pepper over here too, I need her to watch Peter."

" _Of course, sir._ "

Tony continued his anxious march around the living room; he was in disbelief that his husband had gone missing. "Steve can't be dead." Tony mumbled to himself, "Right?"

Peter looked up from the shoulder he was resting on and directly into Tony's worried, brown eyes. He cooed softly; it made the man smile a bit.

"Thanks, Peter." Tony said warmly and kissed the baby's forehead.

" _Agent Maria Hill and her team are on their way, sir."_

"Good." Tony said as he turned and started walking towards the elevator, "Tell them to meet me in the lab, and give them clearance to land. What about Pepper?"

" _Ms. Potts is on her way too, sir. But I am afraid she is rather upset._ "

"What's new?" Tony rolled his eyes as he entered the lift.

The doors slid shut behind him.

oooOOOooo

"Tony." A woman's voice echoed through the lab that Tony and Bruce were working in; it was Maria Hill who was accompanied by Gemma Simmons and another male agent that Tony had never met.

"Finally!" Tony exclaimed as he left his computer and walked over to the SHIELD agents in his lab, "Who's this?" He pointed at the man behind Hill.

"Agent Leopold Fitz, sir. Engineering." The man spoke with a Scottish accent, he was clearly nervous about being in the presence of Iron Man.

The two men shook hands briefly.

"Sorry to interrupt." Agent Simmons spoke up with a sense of urgency, "Where is Peter?"

"Right." Tony pulled his hand back to his side, "He's upstairs, with Pepper. JARVIS, tell Pepper that the agents are here now."

" _Already done, sir."_

"And show Agents Fitz and Simmons the data we collected this morning."

Gemma smiled warmly at Tony, "Fitz?" she tugged at her partner's sleeve, "Let's go."

"Right." Fitz nodded.

Tony nodded too as he watched the two agents re-enter the lift and waited for the doors to slide shut, "Okay, Hill." His voice was now stern and cold; it made Bruce look up from the bench he was working at, "What the hell happened out there? Where is Steve?"

Hill took a step back as she let the man express his concern. She looked away silently before speaking, "Look, Tony. All we know is that their quinjet was attacked once it entered Somali airspace-"

"Wait, what?" Bruce pulled his glasses off of his nose and walked towards the woman, "What do you mean? They were attacked?"

"Yes." The raven-haired woman cleared her throat, "The three of them had found evidence that HYDRA was operating out in Somalia and they went to investigate. When they left Wakandan airspace, their quinjet was hit and crashed somewhere near Somalia's southern border."

"Tony?" Bruce turned to his quiet friend.

Tony stood silent still for a moment as he planned out what he was going to say; a question burst out of his mouth, "So you haven't found them yet?"

Agent Hill looked away again, as if she was ashamed of the answer to come, "No, we haven't."

Tony scoffed and then crossed his arms.

"But Director Fury has already called King T'Challa." Hill tried to sound reassuring, "He and a team of his own are on their way to look for them. I'm sure Steve and the others are fine."

"They better be." Tony glared her and then turned around to return to his computer, "C'mon, Bruce. Let's get back to work."

Bruce nodded slowly and followed Tony back to their workspace.

"Work on what?" Hill asked.

"A cure." Bruce said without looking back, "For Peter."

"Oh." Maria Hill remained standing in the spot where she was left and silently watched as the two men approached their benches and began working, "I'll go check on Fitz-Simmons." She broke her silence.

"Sure." Bruce said softly as he looked up to make eye-contact with the woman. Tony however, refused to acknowledge her comment and continued to experiment with the various tools and chemicals in front of him.

Hill turned around to face the elevator when she realized that she would get no response from Tony and proceeded to take a few steps into the lift. But she stopped when the phone in her pocket began to vibrate; someone was calling.

"What is it, Coulson?" She answered the phone quickly but continued to step into the elevator.

Tony and Bruce looked up and then to each other when they heard Coulson's name. The duo watched attentively as the Maria Hill continued her talk with the agent on the other end of the line. They couldn't read her lips as she was too far and the doors were beginning to close, so they continued their work.

As the doors were about the close, Hill's hand reached out within the thin space in front of her and stopped the elevator. Tony looked up again; a little startled by the abrupt motion taken by the woman.

"Tony." Maria Hill stepped out of the lift again, "Tony!"

"What?" The man refused to look up from his bench, "Look, unless this is about Steve, I'm not-"

"Shut up." The agent snapped, "It's May Parker."

Tony finally looked up, and so did Bruce, "Wha-?"

"She's awake."

* * *

 **So many cliffhangers, am I right?**

 **Anyways, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I apologize for taking so long to post again. Just like before, I wasn't feeling super inspired to write and anything I had written earlier in the week just didn't feel right, yenno? After a while, the chapter started taking shape and I actually really like this one, so that's good I guess.**

 **Thanks again for reading and following my story! It really means so much to me and I hope to keep writing for you guys.**

 **Now I gotta go binge watch me some Daredevil. Until next time,**

 **-B**


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 18**

"It's May Parker."

"Wha-?" Tony's head snapped around as the three words echoed through his two ears and he felt the warm air in his chest quickly evacuate from his chest.

"She's awake."

Tony stood still as he let his brain soak in what he had just heard. Bruce, who was now alternating glances at Maria Hill and Tony, was as equally shocked as the man next to him. The lab remained silent as the gasp that Tony had released mere seconds ago dissipated into the ducts that ventilated the room.

"Tony?" Bruce finally broke the silence.

"Yeah." Tony replied slowly as he looked back down at his work, "I heard." His heart beat faster behind his reactor, but he didn't understand why.

Agent Hill stepped closer to the two men, "She wants to see-"

"Peter?" Tony interrupted; he felt strangely jittery.

Hill nodded, "But she wants to see you too, Tony."

Tony's head snapped up again.

"Coulson's already sent someone to pick you two up."

"Why the hell does she want to see me?"

Maria Hill crossed her arms, "She said she wanted to talk to people taking care of her nephew."

"Can't we wait for Steve to get home?" Tony's tone melted into a fake whine; he was willing to do anything to avoid meeting with the aunt of the baby he was taking care of, and knowing that something was wrong with the kid made matters worse.

"Grow up, Stark." Hill sounded irritated, "You know we don't have his location. And you never know, she could fall back into a coma. You don't wanna rob her of a chance to see her last surviving family member do you, Tony?"

Bruce silently glanced at his friend who silently stood next to him; he waited for his response.

"Fine." Tony finally grumbled as he pushed passed the agent and walked through the elevator doors that she had left open behind her, "Penthouse."

The doors slid shut while Bruce and Agent Hill looked at each other with a look of surprise.

oooOOOooo

"Tony?" Pepper stood up from the couch when she noticed that her boss had entered the room, "What are you doing here?"

She placed her tablet onto the coffee table before standing straight again; the beams of bright morning light casted a slender shadow in front of her.

"Where's Peter?" Tony walked passed her and towards the kitchen.

"In your room." Pepper followed him; she could sense uneasiness in Tony, "What's wrong?"

"Peter's aunt is awake." Tony speedily walked towards his room with Pepper close behind him; the clicking of her heels echoed around them, "She wants to see us."

"Oh." Pepper stopped for a second before chasing after the man, "Did you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's fine." Tony pushed the bedroom door open.

Agents Fitz and Simmons immediately turned to face the door. Peter was lying on the bed and an array of tools and gadgets were spread across the room.

"Mr. Stark!" Simmons chirped at the sight of Tony and Pepper walking into the bedroom, "Is there a problem?"

Tony stepped further into the room, "Yeah, actually. Peter's aunt just woke up and I gotta take him to the hospital. You can continue tomorrow."

Fitz and Simmons looked at each other and then at the baby who was squirming in the bed, "Sure." The both replied in unison as they began to repackage their belongings and tools.

Tony and Pepper silently stood by the door as they waited for the two agents to finish; Tony nervously tapped his foot on the floor, though only Pepper noticed.

"Thank you, sir." Fitz said to Tony as the pair scurried out of the bedroom.

Tony nodded and then looked at Pepper before walking towards his closet, "Could you get Peter ready? I still need to change." He pulled his shirt off; the reactor's blue light lit up his face.

"Uhh- yeah. I guess." The woman walked over to Peter and scooped him up from the bed, "Are you sure you don't need me to come with you to the hospital?"

"I'll be fine!" Tony called out behind him, "And can you close the door?"

Pepper began to step out of the room before realizing she had one more question for her boss, "Do I need to call Happy to take you?"

"No," Tony pulled a shirt from out of the closet, "Coulson's sent someone to get us."

"Phil?" Pepper sounded a little excited.

"Who's Phil?" Tony replied in a playful tone, "His first name's _Agent_."

Pepper chuckled softly as she closed the bedroom door.

oooOOOooo

Tony let out a sharp sigh as he pushed Peter and his stroller through the sliding doors of the hospital lobby; a soft breeze from the air conditioning unit above the door ruffled his brown hair. The room was almost empty, with the exception of a handful of people scattered throughout the seats, all preoccupied with the devices and magazines in their hands. Tony brushed his hair back with his hands as he and Peter continued their silent walk passed the other guests. He quickly looked at the clock on the wall it was 9:46 in the morning.

The pair finally made their way towards the front desk where a young nurse was waiting; her name tag read _Claire Temple_.

"Uhh hi. Miss-" Tony glanced at the tag again, "Miss Temple. I'm looking for, uh Parker? May Parker."

The nurse looked up at Tony suspiciously; not recognizing the man behind his sunglasses and messy hair, "Sorry," she pretended to flip through her binder of patients, "but there's no May Parker here. Can I help you with anything else?"

"What? Look-" Tony leaned over the desk and began to pull his sunglasses off his face.

"It's alright, Miss Temple." A voice called out before Tony could finish his sentence, "He's with me. Mr. Stark?"

It was Agent Phil Coulson.

Claire smiled at Tony nervously as if to say _sorry_ , but Tony ignored her and proceeded to walk towards the man standing a few feet away from him.

"Sorry about that, Tony." Coulson shook his old friend's hand, "We had to make sure no one knew that Mrs. Parker was alive. Couldn't take any chances after what happened to her."

"So you kept her at Metro General?" Tony scoffed as the two men and the baby made their way down one of the hospital's hallways.

"Guess you haven't heard. We had to transfer her from Queens. For security reasons of course." Coulson replied, "And Claire Temple has helped us before with uh - special cases." The agent cleared his throat and lowered his voice, "Matt Murdoch. She knows what to do."

Tony nodded.

"I heard about what happened to Cap." Coulson said warmly, "I'm sure he's fine."

"Yeah." Tony grunted as he continued walking. He didn't realize that Agent Coulson had already stopped at one of the doors that lined the hallway.

"Here, Tony." Coulson cleared his throat; making Tony stop and turn around, "Before you go in, I have to tell you that she isn't looking too good. She's conscious and responsive, but the doctors said that it doesn't look like she's gonna recover fully. Her age isn't helping either."

Coulson placed his hand on the door knob and began to push the handle downwards, but Tony stopped him.

"What do I do in there?" Tony asked nervously, "What do I say?"

"I can't really help you there." Coulson looked away briefly before turning to face Tony again, "Just be nice. You _are_ her hero."

Tony felt the corners of his lips form a smile and he nodded at the agent to open the door.

"Mrs. Parker." Coulson said as the door creaked open, "You have a visitor."

Tony froze behind the agent when the door swung open. The ceiling lights were off but the lamps on the tables next to the bed mixed with the warm morning sunlight made the room bright enough to see. From where he stood, Tony could see a womanly figure lying on the hospital bed near the window; her chest moved slowly as she inhaled and exhaled. He also saw a SHIELD agent sitting in an arm chair in the corner of the room. May Parker's head slowly turned towards the door when she finally heard Coulson's voice.

"I'll leave you alone for a bit." Coulson smiled warmly at Tony, "Daisy."

The young agent stood up and walked passed Tony, who was now pushing the stroller towards the bed; she smiled at him too as they brushed shoulders.

Tony jumped a bit when the door closed behind him.

"Mr. Stark." May Parker greeted Tony as he approached her; her voice was hoarse and she coughed before speaking again, "I'm so glad you could come and see me."

Tony finally made it to the side of the bed, where he finally managed to get a clear view of the woman. Mrs. Parker's wavy brown, but greying, hair was tied into a messy bun on the top of her head and her smiling face hid a very tired woman. She looked thin and frail in her hospital garb and one of her arms had an IV needle poking into her wrist. Tony could hear her struggled breaths, and it made him feel uneasy.

"It's Tony, ma'am." Tony tried hard to be as respectful as he could, "How are you feeling?"

"Is that so? Then please," the woman raised her hand, "call me May. I've been better." Mrs. Parker laughed softly.

Tony felt himself smile.

"Let me just say-" May coughed, "Thank you… For saving my life."

"There is no need to thank me." Tony replied with a small frown because he felt like his husband, "I was just doing my job, saving beautiful women from burning buildings."

"You're so kind." May playfully swatted at Tony with a laugh that quickly turned into coughing, "But yes, thank you. Unfortunately it doesn't look like I have much time left."

Tony looked away.

"Can I see Peter?" May tried to sit up to see Peter in the stroller, but she ended up slumping back down in her bed when a shock of pain surged through her spine.

"Oh right! Of course!" Tony fumbled as he tried to unbuckle the baby from the stroller, making May chuckle softly.

The, holding Peter out in front of him, Tony watched as the baby looked into the woman's eyes; it took a second for him to realize who it was. When he did, Peter reached out with both hands and cooed as his Aunt May did the same. Tony felt himself smile as he gently extended his arms a few inches more to bring Peter closer to May.

"Hi, Peter." The woman coughed softly before taking the baby's delicate hands in her own, "How are you? Are you being good for Tony?"

Peter cooed again; making Tony smile.

"He's being very good." Tony responded with a warm voice.

"That's good." May coughed again.

Her coughing was a lot louder this time, and it Tony pull Peter back into his chest to give the woman some space. The man turned around to face the counter behind him and grabbed a glass of water to give her.

"Thank you." May said between her softer bursts of coughs.

"You can stop thanking me." Tony smiled warmly and then turned around to place the glass back onto the counter.

"No… For taking care of Peter."

Tony froze again. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what to say; nothing came out of his mouth. He turned around again to see a smiling May Parker.

May chuckled softly when she noticed little Peter playing with the prickly hairs on Tony's chin. The baby's eyes were wide with amazement and were a lighter shade of brown in comparison to his aunt's. The woman coughed again before Tony finally spoke.

"It's nothing." The man looked away to avoid Peter's small fingers, "Just doing what anyone would do. Besides, Steve's the one that convinced me to let Peter stay with us."

"Your husband may have been the one to take him in," May said with a smile, "but from what I can see, Peter feels at home with you. Isn't that right, Peter?" She reached out to touch the baby's cheeks.

Peter looked at his aunt again and extended both of his arms towards her; prompting Tony to gently place him on the bed beside May.

"Oh, Peter!" The woman's voice cracked as she spoke and tears began to well in her eyes, "You beautiful boy. You have your mother's eyes." A stream rolled down the side of her face; but she ignored it in favour of kissing the baby's delicate forehead.

Tony looked away briefly as he forced his now watery eyes shut, "Am I really gonna cry over this?" He thought to himself.

" _Don't let him ruin you."_ Tony remembered what Osborn had said to him during their meeting. The man's comment clouded Tony's mind as he struggled to focus on his time with Peter and May. " _They can be a real pain."_

May's sniffling snapped Tony out of his trance. He reached down and scooped the baby back into his arms.

He looked into the woman's eyes and saw a conflict of emotions that battled in her soul. She was clearly happy to see her nephew, but Tony could tell that she knew her time with him was going to be cut short.

" _Don't let him ruin you."_ The voice persistent rang in his brain.

"Tell me about her." Tony surprised himself as he felt the words slip through his barely opened lips, "About his parents."

May cleared her throat and attempted to sit up so that her eyes could line up with Tony's. The bun of hair on her head drooped against the back of her neck as she wiped the lone tear that rested at the bottom of her cheek.

"You should probably pull up a chair." May said with a warm smile and a sniffle, "Unless you have somewhere to be."

"No, ma'am." Tony turned around and pulled a seat to the side of the bed, "You have me for as long as you like." With a smile to the woman, he forced Norman Osborn and his words out of his head.

After clearing her throat, May Parker began to tell stories and share a few laughs with Tony. As the minutes ticked away, the two spoke about Peter's parents and how they were the perfect couple. Mary and Richard Parker were described as a beautiful pair with brilliant minds who were extremely proud and happy to have been blessed with their angel son, Peter.

Eventually, May asked Tony about his life and the conversation shifted into a discussion about Tony and Steve. The minutes turned into hours and the man felt himself slowly open his iron casing and continuously gushed about his marriage to his now missing husband. He rambled about the ups and downs of being in a union of two superheroes, as well as his own uncertainties about taking care of Peter. Much to his surprise, May patiently listened to all he had to say.

"It looks like you're okay with him now, though." The woman chuckled when Tony's mouth finally shut.

"I guess so?" Tony shrugged; softly shaking Peter in his arms, who had fallen asleep while the adults were talking, "I don't get how parents do it."

"I don't understand how they do it either." May smiled at Peter and paused before speaking again, "He was such a cry baby."

Tony raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"He used cry when anyone tried to hold him." May looked into Tony's eyes, "It took hours before his parents could put him to sleep." She coughed again.

"Oh." Tony looked at Peter; the baby's gently snoring made him smile.

"You're doing just fine."

"Thanks, I guess." Tony looked up at the woman and for a moment, the two said nothing and sat in the silence of the hospital room.

May coughed softly and closed her drying eyes as Tony looked towards the window across the bed. The shadows that were cast by the warm sunlight had shifted position and we're now stretched out on the floor. Finally realizing how much time had passed, Tony pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time; _1:38 pm._

There was a soft tapping on the door; Tony turned to look and the door opened just a crack. It was Agent Coulson and Claire Temple.

"Looks like I've got to get going." Tony faced May again.

Opening her eyes and looking at the man again, she spoke with a hoarse voice, "Alright, Tony." She extended her to reach for Tony's, "Take care…"

"I will." Tony put his hand in her's.

"Of Peter." May smiled at the sleeping baby.

Tony's body froze; he didn't know what to say, so he just nodded and smiled at his new friend, "Goodbye Aunt May." Tony whispered softly into Peter's forehead.

He slowly pushed the empty stroller out of the room and let the nurse and agent do their jobs. As the door slowly shut behind him, Tony turned around a caught a brief glimpse of the woman resting in her bed.

He then looked at Peter who was now awake, "What have I gotten myself into?" Tony asked himself.

The door finally closed behind the two of them; it's click echoed down the hall of the hospital wing.

* * *

 **And I'm back! Now I have a lot to say in this author's note, so bear with me:**

 **First off, I want to apologize for taking so long (longer than usual) to post this chapter. I know I always take so long to post chapters and I'm always apologizing, but I really wanted to take my time with this one and make it special. I mean, Aunt May is back so this chapter is very important, don't you think? Anyways, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Also, big thank you to everyone reading this story! Just this week, we passed the 100 followers milestone! That is so awesome, especially 'cus we only passed 80 followers a couple chapters ago. So thank you everyone for reading and following this story!**

 **Now, I want to ask you guys for help; I'm stuck with where this story should go next. I have plans for chapters that come up much later, but I really don't know what to write for the next few chapters. So, please let me know what you guys want to see next! Feel free to leave it as a review, or sent me a private message and I'll see what I can do with your suggestions.**

 **Thanks again so much for reading! Until next time,**

 **-B**


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 19**

"Tony?" Steve groaned as his weak eyes slowly opened, "Tony?"

The jungle that surrounded the super-soldier was dark and the large branches above him allowed only a few rays of orange light to reach the forest floor which was spotted with steaming pieces of debris. The air was thick with moisture and the smell of dirty rainwater invaded Steve's nose; he coughed as he pulled himself up from the ground where he lay. Steve's blue eyes slowly adjusted to his surroundings and the blurry shadows that once clouded his vision became great tree trunks that towered into the sky.

Pulling his mask and visor off, Steve managed to sit up against one the trees near him; his head ached and, despite his reinforced armour, he was bleeding from his right shoulder. He hissed in pain as he tried to reach behind him for his shield, but it wasn't attached to his back. He slumped back down into the base of the tree.

"JARVIS?" Steve desperately clutched his earpiece when he realized that a large portion of the quinjet he was in was resting just a few feet away from him, "Hey, where are we?"

There was no response.

"JARVIS?" He asked again before ripping the wire out and letting it dangle at his chest; where his star-shaped reactor was no longer humming, "Guess I'm on my own."

Steve leaned his head back into the rough tree bark behind him and closed his eyes for a few seconds. As he let out a deep breath, a noise in the brush behind him made his ears perk in alarm.

"Who's there?" Steve looked cautiously behind the tree he was leaning on.

The cluster of leaves behind him rustled gently and then suddenly stopped. A colourful bird flew up into the air with a bag of plane food in its beak.

Steve let out a sigh of relief as he slowly sat back into the natural curve of the tree's roots; he was in no condition to fight. He closed his eyes again and rested his head on his tree.

"Steve?" The Captain heard his husband's voice in the black void of his closed eyes, "Steve?!"

With his heart pounding hard in his chest, Steve reopened his eyes as he fought to keep his mind from replaying the events of the crash. But he couldn't help himself.

He remembered the choking smoke that clouded the chaos that ensued in his quinjet's cabin and the desperate cries of his friends as the metal bird came falling out of the blue African sky. Images of equipment suspended in the air flashed through Steve's distraught mind as he felt his injured shoulder shock him with pain.

Steve grabbed the bleeding wound, praying that his increased healing factor would kick in. But it didn't. As he dropped his hand back down onto his lap, he heard a crunching sound come from his pocket. He reached in carefully with two fingers and pulled out a now wrinkled and dirty sketch of Tony and Peter.

"Tony. Peter." Steve felt their names come through his lips with his weak breaths. He traced the sharp lines of the drawing with his dirty thumb and took a deep breath; his shoulder jolted with pain again as his chest rose, making him wince and fall back into the tree.

Opening his strained eyes, he looked again at his drawing and his mind was greeted with memories of Peter and his toothless smiles and of Tony's warm kisses. Steve immediately felt stronger, though he couldn't tell if it was his super-soldier serum kicking in or not, and he tried to pull himself up to his feet using a nearby branch.

"Ugh." He grunted deeply when he finally managed to make it onto his two wobbly legs, "I gotta find the others." He said to himself softly.

Limping through the jungle, Steve slowly began his search for his team and shield. He followed the trail of scattered plane parts and equipment that led away from the wreckage near him for what felt like an hour until he reached a large hole in the canopy of leaves that covered his head. The once blue sky had turned a magnificent shade of orange and the round sun was nowhere to be seen.

"Must be where we fell." Steve said under his breath as he continued his trek through the dense forest, "It's probably gonna get dark soon."

A few feet from the opening was a large indentation in the ground that made its way down the now steep jungle floor. It was flanked with small fragments of metal and the trees that surrounded it were either scratched or completely broken into two pieces.

With a combination of a walk, limp, and slide, Steve followed the trail through the dense brush, occasionally pushing bushes and branches with his one good arm. Within minutes, the orange sky that peeked through the cracks above him had turned black and the sounds of chirping insects and hooting night birds echoed through the darkness. A cool breeze brushed passed Steve's ear, making him shudder.

As the slope began to smooth out, a large black mound that was spouting cracks of electricity at the end of the trail made Steve's heart stop; it was the rest of the quinjet.

"Nat? Clint?" Steve stumbled down the remaining portion of the hill.

There was no response.

"Is anyone in there?" He approached the wreckage only to find flickering lights in its open cabin, "Damn it." The words escaped his mouth.

Steve walked further into the cabin and sat in the cockpit, hoping that he would find something useful. Something that could help him contact someone. _Anyone_.

To the super-soldier, the panel in front of the pilot's seat looked completely functional. The controls seemed intact and none of the buttons and switches were missing. So he tried pushing them in a desperate attempt to find anything familiar to him.

"Come on!" Steve grunted in frustration as he pressed random series of buttons, hoping that something would happen, "Why aren't you working!?"

Nothing happened; forcing Steve to stand up and walk out of the cockpit. He was exhausted and angry and scared. All he wanted was to be home with his husband, to be in a place he knew, a place he understood.

Steve sat in one of the seats closest to the plane's opening. He leaned his head back into the rest and closed his eyes.

oooOOOooo

"T'Challa!" A woman's voice in the sky woke Steve up, "He's here! I found him!"

Steve opened his eyes and was instantly blinded by a lone ray of light that had made its way through the dense leaves above him. The air was still very humid and was a lot warmer in comparison to the jungle's nighttime breeze.

"Who's there?" The super soldier looked up when a woman's silhouette covered the light that shone on his face.

"Steve? It's okay." The woman's silky voice began to sound more and more familiar as it came closer, "It's me. We got you."

As the woman's two feet touched the ground, Steve finally recognized the snow white hair that flowed lusciously down her shoulders, as well as the long black cloak that draped over her thin but powerful arms. It was Queen Ororo Munroe, it was Storm. Steve tried standing up to greet her, but his partially healed shoulder was still bleeding under his suit.

"Steve, stay down." the woman's voice sounded smooth and gentle, "You need to rest."

"Where are we?" Steve groaned as he sat back down in his seat.

The queen approached her old friend and began to carefully examine the bleeding wound, "We're in the southern jungles of Somalia. Your quinjet crashed just after you crossed the border. Sorry we took so long to find you." She smiled at Steve reassuringly and then gently touched the area around his shoulder, making him wince in pain.

"What about Nat and Clint?" Steve's worried voice was strained, "Are they alright?"

Storm looked into Steve's blue eyes, "They-"

"They're alright, Captain." A deep and regal voice spoke from behind the queen; making both heroes look through the opening of the downed plane. It was T'Challa, with his panther mask off.

"Oh my god! Steve?" Natasha's jaw dropped when she saw that her friend was hurt.

"I'm fine Nat." Steve reassured her.

"Jesus, Cap." Clint approached Steve and took a seat next to him, "How'd you end up here? Nat and I were looking all over for you, then T'Challa found us." He pointed at Black Panther who was now standing next to his wife.

Everyone looked to Steve, all were curious for his answer.

"I woke up at the top of the hill." Steve started recounting his story, "My arm was bleeding and I lost my shield, I tried JARVIS, and I guess my comms were down 'cus he wasn't answering. So I tried looking for you guys and I ended up down here. This is where I spent the night."

"Damn." Clint scratched the back of neck, "You can't find your shield?"

Steve shook his head in silence.

"T'Challa." Ororo spoke up, "Steve's got lacerations on his right shoulder. It's not bleeding anymore, but is there anything you can do?"

Steve looked at his wound and then to the Wakandan King, "I think I can manage. It was a lot worse last night, so I'm healing… slowly."

"Steve." Ororo looked at him sternly as if to lecture him with her piercing blue eyes.

"I actually have this." T'Challa stepped forward and pulled a needle out of one of the pouches he was carrying, "It's an injection that should temporarily accelerate your healing. My scientists have been working on this for a while back at the palace. May I?" He gestured at Steve's wound.

The super-soldier nodded his approval.

"This is gonna hurt." The king gently lifted Steve's armor to expose the wound before he positioned the needle above the cut, "Ready?"

"Go for it." Steve grunted and closed his eyes as he braced himself.

T'Challa quickly pressed the syringe into Steve's exposed flesh and slowly injected its contents, making Steve wince as he felt the medication make its way through his veins. The king then pulled the needle out again and placed it back in the pouch that carried it.

"It will take a few minutes for it to take effect." T'Challa covered the wound with a cloth before slowly placing the shoulder plate back down, "But after that, it won't be long before it closes up. It might scar, but I doubt it, considering the super-soldier serum in your blood stream."

"That's fine." Steve's tense muscles finally relaxed.

"If anything," Clint spoke with a cheeky smile, "Tony'll find it sexy."

"Tony!" The name came bursting through Steve's lips, "Does he know we're alright?"

"He knows that your quinjet went down," T'Challa responded, "Director Fury was the one who asked me to find you. But we couldn't send a message back to them from down here."

"Something's disrupting our comms." Natasha added from behind the king.

"And the mission?" Steve sounded serious, "What are we supposed to do now?"

The heroes looked at each other, waiting for someone to say something. For a while, no one spoke, leaving the hollow sounds of the jungle to fill the silent void.

"If it were up to me," T'Challa finally spoke; prompting the other Avengers to look at him, "I'd keep going. Our evidence led you here and look where we are now." The Black Panther quickly glanced at the people around him before locking his eyes onto Steve's.

"Guess we'll keep going." Steve shrugged painfully as he tried to stand up from his seat, "We'll notify SHIELD when we can."

"Woah, Cap." Clint firmly placed a hand on his captain's shoulders, "You should rest. How about we scout ahead? If our comms are getting disrupted here, HYDRA's probably nearby."

"Cap?" Clint looked to Steve, "It's your call."

Steve felt his eyes drift to the metallic quinjet floor below him as he silently thought about his next move. He pensively planned the next steps of his mission, and he thought about Tony, about Peter, and about what the rest of his team would do.

"Cap?" Natasha asked now, her voice sounded a little concerned, "What's our next move?"

Looking up with his eyebrows furrowed intensely, he spoke, "We'll keep going." Steve's usually warm voice sounded stern and cold, "The king's right, whoever attacked our bird has to be nearby. And something's telling me they're probably the ones to look for. It's probably HYDRA too."

"Alright Steve, we're with you. But you gotta rest first," Ororo replied for the team and then looked to her husband who nodded at her in agreement, "your wound still hasn't sealed yet and the medicine hasn't kicked in."

Steve slowly lifted his healing shoulder and grunted his response, "Right. We should probably wait for nightfall. I should be good by then." He looked up at the blue cracks between the leaves above him, "Clint, Nat?"

The pair looked at their captain.

"You should go ahead." Steve ordered, "Move quietly and see if you can find anything, anything that can lead us to HYDRA."

"I'll go with them." Ororo chimed in, "We can cover more ground."

"Alright." Steve nodded, "Come back here when the sun begins to set. Then we'll move."

After a quick nod and smile, the three heroes vanished into the dark green brush that surrounded the grounded quinjet.

"Do you think you could try repairing the comms in the jet?" Steve looked to T'Challa who silently stood in front of him, "We need to contact SHIELD."

"I could try," The king's regal voice echoed down the cabin of the quinjet as he approached the cockpit, "no promises. I'm not used to this." He sat in the pilot's seat and began working.

"What?" Steve looked at him, with a look of confusion on his face.

"I'm usually the one leading." The Black Panther chuckled softly.

"Oh, sorry." Steve smiled, "Your _majesty_."

"Get some rest, Steve."

"I will." The captain said with a smile as he closed his eyes.

oooOOOooo

"Have you gotten anything yet?" Steve walked towards the working king; the gash on his shoulder was almost sealed and his muscles no longer ached.

"No." T'Challa shook his head in disappointment, "I got the panel to work again, but whatever is jamming our comms is jamming this thing too. Are the others here yet?"

Steve leaned over the king and looked out the window of the cockpit, "No, not yet."

The jungle was significantly darker than it was a few hours back, when the team had split up. The sun was clearly setting as the once blue holes had turned a pale orange in the canopy overhead; the chattering insects that populated the forest had also come out and their chirping rang softly around the clearing that Steve and T'Challa were in.

"They should be back soon." Steve pulled out of the cockpit and sat in a seat nearby, "We'll give 'em a few more minutes."

T'Challa swung his seat around to face Steve; his seat creaked as he leaned back into it. Across from him, Steve was looking out of the opening of the wreck and the king couldn't help but notice the light shimmer that Steve's suit was giving off. A shimmer that was very similar his own Black Panther garb.

"Where'd you get your suit, Steve?" T'Challa asked in curiosity.

"Tony made it for me." Steve flashed a smile and then looked down at the red, white, and blue that wrapped his muscular figure.

"There's vibranium in there. Isn't there?"

"Yeah." Steve cocked his head up and looked at the king, "Tony wanted me in something stronger than spandex."

"Well," T'Challa chuckled, making his own vibranium suit move and shimmer also, "he made the right choice. I've been wearing it for a long time, it's never failed me. I just wonder how you still managed to get cut."

Steve scratched the back of his neck, "Good question. I'll let him know when I get home."

T'Challa chuckled.

" _If_ I get home." Steve grumbled under his breath.

As he reclined back into his seat, a sharp movement from T'Challa caught Steve's attention. The super-soldier immediately looked up at the king in front of him who was silently sitting completely upright as if he was attentively listening to something.

"They're here." T'Challa spoke softly and stood up to greet the team outside, "Let's go." He briskly walked towards the opening of the jet, Steve followed close behind him in silence.

Outside the quinjet, T'Challa and Steve were greeted by Natasha, Clint and Ororo who were all visibly tired, but eager to continue with their mission. The jungle was quickly getting dark as the shadows that surrounded the small Avengers team grew in size and draped over the tall trees, covering the shorter brush in darkness.

"Did you find anything?" Steve asked the three quietly.

"Yeah, we did." Clint responded; his voice sounded tired, "Ororo found an old outpost a few clicks north."

Steve and T'Challa looked at Storm, waiting for more details.

"I flew nearby," Ororo added, "It's pretty isolated and I saw some activity on the ground. I think that's where they are."

"Alright then." Steve nodded, "Let's move."

* * *

 **And after what is almost a month, I am back from the dead! I am so sorry this chapter took so much longer than usual, but I just got swamped with finals and life and I just didn't have the drive to write. But now that that's all over, be ready for more chapters!**

 **I know this chapter has like no Peter/Tony in it, but don't worry! They will be back soon. I have plans for what is coming up next with Steve and things are about to get pretty interesting. Think of this as something like a season premiere! We've gotten so far in the story that I feel like the next few chapters are gonna be very, very different in comparison to when we started this journey together.**

 **I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for sticking around, even after my sudden _disappearance_. Let me know what you guys think!**

 **-B**


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 20**

"There it is." Natasha whispered as the Avengers carefully crouched behind a fallen tree.

After what felt like an eternity of walking in utter darkness, the team finally made it to the outskirts of the supposed HYDRA base that Storm had discovered. The main building looked run down but was well hidden at the base of a hill in the middle of a dense portion of jungle. There was some activity going on around the structure as there were armed men monitoring the perimeter as well as the occasional beam of light that shone from a single lamp at the top of a defensive wall. The wall, however, had only one opening; a gate where most of the security was concentrated and tall fences of barbed wire lined the dirt road that led to it.

"Okay, Cap." Clint spoke softly, "What's the plan?"

Steve cautiously looked over the log they were hiding behind and quickly re-scanned their target before sitting back down with his team, "There are men out there, looks like thirty of them. We gotta get in there."

"Anyway in?" Clint looked over the log now too, "There's a service road that leads to the gate. Looks like it's the only way. If you're all interested in punching our way in." He answered his own question.

"Any ideas?" Steve looked at his team, his tired mind struggled with planning their next moves.

"There's a river a few feet west of their wall." T'Challa replied, "The building looks old, there's probably some sewage system that drains into it."

"Alright." Steve nodded at the Black Panther, "That's our way in. We just gotta get around there without getting caught."

"I got it." Ororo said as she stretched out her powerful arms and her eyes began to glow a dazzling white.

The other Avengers, with the exception of T'Challa watched in amazement as the queen summoned powerful winds and clouds over them. A flash of light streaked the sky above and soon after, a loud thunderclap boomed as heavy rain began to fall.

"That should make it harder for them to spot us." Ororo said as her eyes returned to their striking electric blue.

"I'll lead the way." T'Challa's voice demanded attention as he pulled his black mask over his face and quietly crept in the brush towards the river.

The Avengers followed close behind, making sure that their heads were concealed by the dense greenery between them and the outpost. Eventually, after a few minutes of silently running through the rain, the team made it to the river; the loud slaps made by the rain hitting the water rang loudly by the riverbed.

"There." Natasha pointed across the river and to the team's right, where a large pipe was pouring water into the river.

"Is it shallow enough to cross?" Steve asked.

"I think so." T'Challa said as he carefully placed a foot into the river and began walking across.

The rest of the team followed with Steve the last to enter the river. They moved as fast as they could without making too much noise. Despite the rainwater clapping with the river, the sloshing of the Avengers' feet was still very audible.

As the team made it across, Steve noticed that the light on the wall was moving in their direction with its beam shining brightly on the ground. The super-soldier's heart was beating fast as the single ray of light inched closer and closer.

"Captain!" T'Challa whispered with strain when he noticed the light as well; he turned around to reach for Steve, "Hurry!"

Steve quickly extended his arm to reach for T'Challa's, but something solid in the mud and sand at the bottom of the river clung to his leather boots, preventing him from reaching his comrade. The super-soldier looked to his side again and saw the spotlight slowly make its way towards him; a sense of fear and urgency rushed through him as a chill crawled up his spine.

"T'Challa!" Storm called with a tense, yet soft voice as she grabbed her husband's shoulder to pull him into the shadows of the wall; the light had made its way to where T'Challa was standing.

"Keep going," Steve whispered with strain as he motioned for the team to move on, "I'll find you."

"No!" The king's eyes shut as he was pulled back into the shadow of the wall by his wife's strong arms, "Steve!"

Opening his eyes, T'Challa anxiously watched as the beam continued moving down the river, passing where the team was hiding. His eyes darted left and right as he searched for his friend who was no longer standing in the river.

"Where is he?" Natasha asked worriedly.

No one answered as fear began to settle into the team.

"What now?"

"We move." T'Challa spoke with a sense of anxiousness in his voice as he brushed passed his team and towards the pipe, "Captain Rogers will find us."

Without question, the team silently followed the monarch into the drain; Natasha was the last to enter.

oooOOOooo

Feeling his lower back touch the base of the river, Steve opened his eyes as the beam of light continued its path. The falling rain violently slapped the water above him, distorting the shadows that hung overhead. He turned to face the direction of the light, and then looked at what his foot was caught on. It was sunken log.

Remaining submerged, Steve reached down passed his knee to pull his trapped foot; being careful to not let out too much air. He struggled for a moment and tugged at his shin until he had come loose.

"Finally." The captain thought to himself in relief and then looked towards the direction of the moving beam of light, "Just a little longer." It was making its way back towards him.

His fatigued lungs were beginning to burn as the seconds under water slowly ticked away; his body had not yet rested for his natural healing factor to kick in. Steve closed his eyes again as the glare from the beam passed over him. He waited a few more seconds, to allow it to move further away before making his next move.

Steve repositioned himself into a crawl and allowed the top half of his head to breach the surface; fresh air rushed into his aching chest. Taking a second to note his position, Steve carefully moved to the riverbed. The heavy rain and splashing of the water beat heavily onto the man's forehead and a strong gust of wind forced his bright blue eyes into a squint.

Climbing out of the warm water, Steve moved swiftly back into the shadows and pressed himself against the concrete wall that was between him and his team. He carefully looked for any other sign of movement before crawling into the now open drain.

The tunnel was dark and damp, with a thin and shallow stream, making its way to the river. Thinking of Tony and Peter back home, to forget the rank stench that burned his nose, Steve moved slowly, making sure that the water at his feet made as little noise as possible. As he continued his trek in the darkness, the pipe began to narrow and Steve was soon forced to walk with a hunch; his broad build just fitting into the dark space in front of him.

After what felt like miles of pipework, Steve noticed a small spot of light that shone from the ceiling of the drain; it was a hole in the cover of a manhole. The super soldier positioned himself underneath the light, shielded his now adjusted eyes from the narrow beam moonlight, and listened silently for any movement on the ground. He flinched when a large truck drove overhead.

"That's my way out." Steve thought as he carefully pushed the cover up so that it could slide over.

As the cover was pushed aside, more light entered the dark tunnel; reflecting brilliantly on the murky sewage below. A rush of clean air also flooded into the space. Steve waited again before moving, ensuring that there were not patrolling guards above him. When he was sure, he pushed off of his built legs and quickly pulled himself out of the drain; a brief grunt of pain exited his dry throat.

Steve was out, but was out in the open. His eyes immediately shot to a thick bush under a cluster of trees, and his legs followed suit. He ducked under the brush and scanned his surroundings.

In front of the captain was the dirt road he was just under, it came from his left, from the front and only gate of the aged structure; it's large concrete walls surrounded the inner base and was heavily guarded at its top. To his right was the main building of the base; a lone, burly guard stood watch.

"Where did the others go?" Steve spoke under his breath and stuck his head out of the bush further to look for any sign of his team; he found nothing, "Guess I'm on my own for now."

The super soldier began to move cautiously towards the armed man at the entrance of the base; his military boots scraping across the jungle floor. As he approached the door, he took hold of a decent sized rock at his side and brought it with him, thinking it may be of use to him since he no longer had his shield.

"Now to get rid of you." His mind raced as his thumb rubbed the smooth side of the rock.

Without thinking, Steve's arm was swung into the air, sending the rock over the road and in the direction of the guard; his legs ready to charge.

"Shit! What the…." The guard cursed as he rubbed the painful gash on the top of his bald head. He reached for the radio that was clipped on the side of his waist and was prepared to call for backup; not noticing Captain America running at him from his side.

In an instant, the guard was on the ground; a swift knee kick to his stomach and a punch to his jaw was enough to knock the wind out of the large man.

Steve grunted softly as he quickly dragged the man into the shadows of the patch of jungle trees behind him. He then pulled the radio and key card from the guard's belt and carefully hid the unconscious body under the bushes that lay closer to the ground.

He crept towards the closed door, tapped the card on the sensor to his right and cautiously entered the HYDRA base; gently closing the door behind him.

oooOOOooo

"Tony!" Pepper called out as the elevator doors to the Stark-Rogers penthouse slid open; a hint of cheerfulness in her voice.

It was almost five o'clock when Tony and Peter had arrived back home from the hospital; the traffic in downtown New York City and Tony's _brief_ stop for food delayed their return home. Pushing the baby and his stroller through the living room of the suite, Tony ignored his friend who was looking at him from the sofa; not seeing the other man in his home.

"Hey!" A familiar male voice rang through Tony's now perked ears, "You ignored my calls, you really gonna ignore me in person, too?"

"Rhodey?" The tired and stressed man stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder; at the warm smile and open arms behind him, "What the hell are you doing here?" He opened his own arms as if he was preparing for a hug.

Standing on the other side of the couch was a pilot who also happened to be Tony Stark's closest friend. It was Colonel James Rhodes; a wide grin plastered on his weathered face.

Rhodes spoke as he stepped around the couch and towards his friend with a sense of swagger in his demeanour, "I was in town and thought I should stop by, see you and the baby."

The two men embraced as Pepper walked around them to pull Peter out of his stroller; a slight smile forming on her face.

"Damn," Tony crossed his arms as he stepped back from the hug, "it's been way too long." He ignored his friend's comment about the child behind him.

"Yeah, man! It has."

"Shouldn't you be in Arizona? I thought you were there training the new recruits?"

Pepper sat back down on the couch and played with Peter on her lap.

"Yeah, well they've given me some time off-" Colonel Rhodes replied; scratching the back of his neck.

"It's about damn time!" Tony interrupted, "You've been in that desert for how long? A month now? And does Carol know you're here?" He asked his last question with a wink.

"6 months, and no. She doesn't know I'm here." Rhodey replied in a slight chuckle which was followed by a brief moment of awkward silence, "So… where's your kid?" He peered over Tony's shoulder, not noticing that Pepper had taken the baby out of the stroller.

Pepper cleared her throat; catching the attention of the two men.

"There he is!" The pilot turned and made his way towards the smiling baby.

"Umm… he's not mine." Tony sounded a little anxious; his arms now crossed and his face a flush of pale red.

"I'm just messin' with you Tony." Rhodes laughed, "Pepper told me why he's here."

"Right." Tony laughed nervously as he scratched his neck and took a seat on the armchair opposite his friends. His eyes drifted to Peter, who was now nestled in Rhodey's wide lap; he felt a warm smile creep on his face. Tony scratched his cheek in an effort to hide it.

As if she was reading his mind, Pepper finally spoke, "How was your trip to the hospital?"

"The hospital?" Rhodes looked up at the woman next to him.

"He took Peter to see his aunt." The woman replied dryly.

Rhodes nodded before continuing to coo at the baby.

"How'd you know I was at hospital?" Tony asked; a finger resting on his chin.

"Bruce told me when I came over this afternoon to check on you and Peter." Pepper replied.

"Right." Tony mumbled, "It was good." He kept his answer brief, hoping that he wouldn't have to explain anything else. Tony was beginning to stress out.

But Pepper pressed on, "How is she? Is she gonna recover? What did she say to you?" The questions poured out of the woman's red lips; prompting Rhodes to look at his friend in curiosity.

Tony stared at her blankly; his mouth agape. His mind began to race and his visit to the hospital was replaying in his head like a tape recording. May Parker's words of gratitude and her request to take of Peter rang through his ears and his attention moved to the infant in front of him.

"Tony?" Pepper asked again.

"It doesn't look too good for her," Tony snapped out of his daze and his eyes darted back towards Pepper, "and she just said thanks for taking care of the kid."

"That's it?" The woman sounded eager to hear more, "Didn't you talk about-"

"Can we not talk about it right now?" Tony cut in; his voice was tense and it startled Rhodes.

Pepper was initially taken aback at Tony's sudden snap, but quickly recovered, "Alright, we can talk later." She smiled warmly at her friend.

The three adults sat quietly for a moment; Tony zoned out again and was staring at the floor. No one in the room knew how to carry on another conversation as Tony's stress was made apparent to his friends. But, despite the heat coming off of the stressed inventor, the silence was welcome in the penthouse.

"I forget how beautiful the city is." Colonel Rhodes said as he looked up from the baby and towards the windows that faced the city.

Pepper nodded her agreement and then turned to watch the sunset.

The sun was setting behind the city skyline and hues of oranges and reds flooded the living room; providing a sense of warmth in the modern penthouse. Tony was still looking at the floor and was trying to sort the wild thoughts the races through his mind: Steve, Peter, May, Osborne. He was stuck.

" _Mr. Stark, please forgive my interruption."_ JARVIS' digital voice cut through the silent room.

"What is it JARVIS?" Tony's voice was still tense, "This better be good."

" _I've received a distress call."_ The AI replied, " _It appears to be coming from Somalia. It is Captain Rogers, sir."_

* * *

 **Hey everyone! After that freakishly long hiatus... I am back! I apologize for making you guys wait so long to read this and I hope you enjoyed! Thank you so much for all of the follows and for reading this story. I plan on getting back into writing more for you, unless of course, school becomes a problem.**

 **Let me know what you think, and expect more to come!**

 **-B**


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not own anything Marvel. All properties mentioned belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 21**

" _This is Captain Steve Rogers…"_ The recorded message began to play Steve's tired voice into the silent living room; Tony, Pepper and Rhodes remained completely still in their seats. " _My team and I have infiltrated a HYDRA base in the southern jungles of Somalia…_ "

"Steve…" The name slipped through Tony's lips as his wide eyes darted to Pepper and Rhodey; tuning out the message that continued playing.

Steve and his team of Natasha and Clint had been missing for a couple days now. Their quinjet went down in Somali airspace and despite SHIELD's efforts, at Tony's urging, no contact was made with the lost Avengers. Until now.

Though not initially obvious, Tony had been stressing about his missing husband, and having to worry about a potential business deal with Oscorp was not making anything better. And now, hearing that there is a possibility that Steve is alive somewhere, all of Tony's focus was on getting his husband home.

"Tony?" Pepper's eyes met with Tony's, "What are you thinking?"

Tony didn't answer; his mouth opened slightly. He stood and turned to look out the window behind him, his mind was racing again, and all he could think of was finding Steve.

"Tony?" Pepper asked again.

"JARVIS!" Tony's stressed voice startled the baby on Rhodes' lap; making his little face scrunch up and his eyes water, "Forward the message to SHIELD and get Hill on the line, now! I'm going to Somalia."

"Are you serious?" Rhodes asked from the couch, he did not notice that Peter was beginning to cry silently, "You don't know what he's gotten into. What if it's not him? It could be a trap."

"Of course I'm serious!" The tension in Tony's body was released through his voice, "If Steve is out there-" he turned to look at his friend, "If there is even the slightest chance that he and the others are out there, I'm gonna take it." He turned around again; ignoring his friends behind him.

Peter was now crying aloud; his mouth was wide open, his face was red, and a loud scream was climbing its way up the baby's throat. The room was becoming a loud mess of voices as the three adults could feel the tension building in the air.

"Pepper," Rhodes said with urgency, "could you take him?" He extended his arms to hand the baby over to the woman next to him.

"C'mon 'lil guy." Pepper nodded to the pilot as she cradled Peter in her arms, "Let's let the men figure this out." She carried the crying baby into the kitchen; gently rocking him with every step she took.

Rhodes got up and stood behind Tony. He placed his hand on his friend's tight shoulders; a reminder for Tony to breathe.

Tony turned his head and looked at his best friend through his peripherals, "Sorry," he said sullenly.

"Mhmm." The pilot nodded with a warm smile before bringing his hand back to his side and moved to stand beside his friend.

Both men were now looking out into the orange New York sky.

The warm light burned Tony's desire to fly away and save his family, but it soothed his exhausted mind too; having another friend stand by him also helped. It was usually Steve who stood with Tony at the window and all that he could think of now were the nights that he was wrapped in his husband's strong arms, looking out into the city like this.

" _Agent Hill is on the line, sir."_ JARVIS' robotic voice cut through the warm atmosphere of the room; making Rhodes flinch.

"Put 'er through JARVIS." Tony's voice was dry.

Instantly, a blue hologram of the woman was projected onto the large window; effectively blocking the view of the city. Dressed in her black SHIELD suit, Agent Maria Hill looked tired too, but her dark hair was still kept in its usual tight bun; there was also concern in her eyes.

"Stark, Rhodes." Hill's voice was as tense as the men she was talking to, "We got the SOS and we-"

"I'm bringing him home, _NOW._ " Tony interrupted with his arms crossed in front of the reactor on his chest; a faint blue light casting shadows on his face.

"Hey," Rhodes spoke up, "let her speak."

Tony turned around and glared at his friend.

"Thank you, colonel." Hill nodded at the pilot before continuing her 'discussion' with Tony, "Look, I understand that Steve is important to you, but _we_ are handling this. We're prepping an extraction team as we speak, they'll bring them home. Now we want yo-"

Tony scoffed at the woman, "How long will it take for a quinjet to get to Somalia? Three hours?"

"Approximately, yes."

"JARVIS? How long would it take for me to fly there in one of my suits?" Tony turned around; blocking out the woman on the screen.

Rhodes shook his head in disappointment and then pinched the bridge of his nose.

" _If travelling at maximum speed,_ " JARVIS responded after taking a pause to calculate, " _approximately 1.5 hours, sir._ "

Feeling like he had beaten Maria Hill, Tony flashed a sly smile at Rhodes before turning around again to speak, "So… JARVIS, you're telling me that I'll get to Steve before any other SHIELD agent?" His voice was cocky now.

JARVIS replied after another pause, " _Yes. But of course, you would have to consider the possibility of a suit failure or-_ "

"Thanks bud, I think Hill's got it." Tony cut into the AI's response and then returned his attention to the agent on the screen.

Much to Tony's (and Rhodes') surprise, Maria Hill was silent. Her arms were now crossed in front of her, and her eyes were looking up and to her left; asking a silent question of _are you done yet?_

"Do I need to say that again for you?" Tony asked sarcastically.

"No you don't."

"Oh…" Tony threw his arms up and turned around again as he spoke; his back to the screen again, "So you understood where I was going with this?"

"Shut it Stark!" The agent barked before composing herself again, "You're going with the team."

The man instantly froze as the words entered his ears. He looked up to Rhodes who was attempting to use his eyebrows as a signal for him to turn around again.

"Uhh… No I'm not." Tony responded over his shoulder; his voice was irritated, "Didn't I say that I'd be faster on my own? I said that didn't I, Rhodey?"

"I'm not part of this." The pilot shook his head again.

Tony faced the screen again.

"Look, Stark." Hill was getting frustrated now, "I have made my decision. You either go with the team, or you sit your ass back down on that couch behind you and wait for your husband to come home with my agents. Is that clear?"

Speechless, Tony scratched the top of his head; ruffling his already messy brown hair. He had to plan his next steps carefully and having an enlarged and angry blue Maria Hill stare him down was making thinking harder than it already was.

"Are you coming or not?" Hill was impatient now, "We need to move, so I need your answer."

Tony knew his answer, but he still stood silently. He stared through the screen and out to the city; the bright orange sky now transitioning into a deep navy blue. Rhodes, on the other hand, had his dark eyes moving to look at Tony, then to Maria Hill, then back to Tony. He too was growing impatient and the tension between the two people in front of him was making him anxious.

"Tony?" Hill's voice demanded an answer.

"No-" He began to respond.

"We're going." The answer slipped through Rhodes' tongue, "I don't care if you don't wanna go with them, but we need to bring 'em home, okay? We gotta end this now." He looked into Hill's eyes, "If you'll excuse me, I have to get my things." The colonel walked away.

"Alright." Maria Hill paused for a moment to process what had happened before continuing to speak, "The quinjet will be there in fifteen."

"Yeah." Tony grunted as he angrily watched Rhodes walk away over his shoulder. He turned his head again and continued to watch as the sun slowly set behind the city.

"And don't worry about Peter." The woman added as she checked the watch on her wrist, "Agents FItz and Simmons will be there to watch over him. See you in fifteen."

The screen disappeared as soon the agent finished her sentence; leaving a conflicted Tony alone in the noiseless living room.

oooOOOooo

"Alright, now we wait for them." Steve said in a hushed voice to Natasha, who was standing close beside him, "Pray that Tony or someone at SHIELD got it."

"I'm sure they did." Natasha replied as she brushed a wisp of red hair from her face.

The two Avengers were alone in one of the many computer rooms in the old structure. It was unguarded, windowless, and had only one door; a glorified closet. With the exception of the pale light beaming from the small computer unit in front of them, the room was dark and the small shadows that were cast on the walls made the pair feel uneasy.

Steve crept towards one of the walls and silently sat on the floor. His tired muscles burned as his body continued to slowly recover from the plane crash. He rested his head on the wall behind him and looked up at his teammate who looked just as tired as he was.

Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed was the Black Widow, dressed in her tight leather suit. Her utility belt was lined with small gadgets and the two holsters on her thighs held loaded guns. Natasha's long red hair was now curling at the ends and her typically determined eyes were showing fatigue and a longing to go home.

Like Steve, though voluntarily, Natasha was separated from the team. Upon entering the main structure of the discovered HYDRA base, the investigating Avengers, minus Steve, decided to split up to cover more ground. On her own, Natasha crept through the halls of the base, avoiding contact with guards and managing to eavesdrop on a few conversations between enemy agents, but failed to find anything of interest. The two were reunited at the end of one of the many long corridors that ran through the base and continued their exploration together before sending an SOS to their friends back home.

"How you feeling, Steve?" Natasha whispered; her voice cracking at his name.

Steve grunted, "Better, but not perfect."

The woman smiled before turning her head to the door.

"Any idea where the others might be?" The captain asked.

Natasha shook her head, "No idea. And we can't make any contact with them either, there's a jammer interfering with the signal."

"Right." Steve nodded and turned his head to face the door, too.

There was a pregnant pause, and the whirring sounds of the computers filled the silent void; the two heroes taking a moment to rest their tired minds and aching bodies.

"So, Cap," Natasha's raspy voice broke the silence, "what's our next move?"

Steve took a moment to think, "We should continue searching this place." He pushed himself up onto his feet, "Then find the others, see if they found anything."

The woman nodded lightly as she turned to look at her comrades blue eyes, "God… I can't wait till this is over."

"Me too, Nat." A faint smile creeped onto Steve's cheeks, "Me too."

Natasha smiled back; not saying a word.

"What was that?" Steve asked; his voice tense now.

"What?" The Black Widow's ears perked and her eyes narrowed as she leaned towards the door; muffled shuffling could be heard through the cracks at the bottom of the doorway.

Steve was leaning in too; his red ears soaking in as much sound as they could, "That! Someone's coming."

Natasha's eyes widened instantly when she realized what Steve was hearing; her two hands hovering over the holsters strapped to her, "Shit," she cursed under her breath, "silent alarm! They've found us."

Instinctively, Steve grabbed Natasha by the waist and pulled her from the entrance to the room; the two Avengers collapsed onto the tiled floor as the door swung open and a small device was thrown into the space. Panic overcame the duo as they huddled near a table and prepared themselves for the worst.

A deafening bang and flash of white light filled the dark room, followed by muffled shouting; forcing Steve and Natasha's eyes shut as they desperately covered their ears. As the captain recovered from the disorienting ringing and blurs, two large and armed figures, dressed in all black suits, approached him and the woman next to him. He watched helplessly as one of them hit Natasha on the back of the head with the butt of his rifle, knocking her unconscious on the floor.

Steve grunted as he began to kick at the man who was now standing over him. He managed to make contact with the guard's shin but was soon overwhelmed when the other man struck him on the side of his head; forcing Steve to roll onto his stomach.

The captain rolled over and pulled himself up; his vision and hearing returning slowly. Struggling to stay on his feet, Steve continued to fight off his attackers. Punches and kicks were thrown in all directions as a determined Steve tried to focus his eyes on the blurry men coming at him. He managed to throw down one of the guards but was immediately struck in the stomach by the rifle of the other man left standing.

Steve grunted loudly as his body folded over in pain and his eyes shut tight as his body fought hard to stand straight again. As he straightened his back, Steve was struck again from behind; the guard he had taken down was back on his feet. The Avenger folded over again as his tired body succumbed to the pain. He fell onto his hands and knees before being hit on the middle section his spine with a force strong enough to push him back onto his stomach.

"Nat?" He mumbled as he turned and watched his friend, through now very blurred vision, get carried away "Nat!" Steve tried hard to push himself up; a red tinge coming into vision.

As he pushed his head off of the cold floor, a hard, rounded object pounded at the back of Steve's head; slamming his swelling face back onto the tiles under him.

The room turned from red, to white, to black.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Here's the new chapter, I hope you all enjoyed reading it! I just wanna say how much I appreciate you guys following and reading my stories, it means so much to me that you guys are still here (even after that super long break over the summer).**

 **Please feel free to leave comments: let me know what you think or if there's anything you'd like to see happen! I might be able to incorporate your ideas into future chapters/stories!**

 **Until next time,**

 **-B**


	22. Chapter 22

**I do not own anything Marvel. All mentioned properties belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 22**

"Steve?" A woman's raspy whisper came from his left, "Hey!"

Steve's blue eyes slowly opened and his chin rose as he let out a soft groan, "Nat?" His blond hair was dirty and pressed against his forehead which dripped blood down his face, and a sharp ringing pierced his ears.

"Steve!" Natasha spoke in a strained whisper.

Though his vision was still slightly blurred, Steve managed to make out his surroundings: a large room filled with computers and various gadgets that all seemed slightly outdated, and in front of him was a small group of men; their backs to him and Natasha as they looked at a large screen that was showing multiple live shots of the jungle. As his vision and hearing began to clear, Steve looked to his side where Natasha was sitting in a chair with her legs and arms tied tightly to the seat's metal frame. He tried to move his arms and legs but they, too, were restrained.

Natasha was looking back at him with dazed bloodshot eyes; her red hair was tangled and she was bleeding from her lower lip.

"Where… are we?" Steve croaked.

"Don't speak." The woman mouthed silently; a lone strand of hair fell over her eyes.

Steve nodded as he slowly regained full consciousness. His arms felt very weak, like the super soldier serum had been drained out of his body, but he needed to get out. His eyes desperately scanned every detail of the room in an attempt to find an escape. The only way out, was a single door behind him and Natasha.

Steve had to make his move now.

Without hesitation, the super soldier began to flex his arms and arch his back; ready to tear the binds that strapped him to the chair.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Captain." A powerful German voiced boomed from behind the pair, sending a sharp chill up Steve's spine as he watched a rifle be pressed against the back of Natasha's head, "Make a move, Rogers, I dare you."

Steve relaxed his arms and let his head hang in front of him in surrender. The men standing in front of him turned to face the door; their arms placed firmly at their sides.

"That's much better." The menacing voice began to move closer to them as footsteps echoed through the silent room.

In the corner of his eye, Steve watched as a tall man in a long black coat walked briskly between him at Natasha; a small HYDRA logo was emblazoned on the shoulders of his outfit. The man stopped and turned to look at the Black Widow who stared back silently with cold eyes. He then turned to look at Steve; the gaze from dark eyes that sat on the man's crimson face burned into his skin.

It was Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up." The Red Skull grinned and whipped around to face Natasha again before turning back to Steve, "You were out for more than an hour." He leaned in closer to Steve who turned away to look at Natasha. "Before we get started," Schmidt said softly as he aggressively stabbed a syringe into the captain's large thigh, "a little something to calm you down. Now, tell me, Rogers. What did you send to SHIELD?"

Steve refused to speak; his body immediately began to feel significantly weaker but his blue eyes were now locked with Schmidt's. The Red Skull waited for an answer as the eyes of HYDRA agents watched from all corners of the room.

The two Avengers remained silent.

"Ahhh, I see." The red man leaned back; still flashing the yellowing teeth in his mouth, "Giving me the silent treatment, Rogers? Let me fix that."

Schmidt pulled a large knife from his belt and held forcefully held it up to Natasha's sweaty face. Her green eyes remained unchanged as she hit the back of her head on the gun behind her.

"I'm going to ask you again." The man was getting angry, "What did you tell SHIELD?"

Steve hesitated and looked to Natasha, who appeared to be unfazed by the blade on her face.

"Hmmm," Schmidt shrugged with a chuckle, "What a shame, to ruin such a beautiful face."

He pressed the deeper knife into Natasha's cheek, forcing the woman to wince in an effort to hide her pain; she fought the urge to fight back. Steve winced too as he saw a stream of red flow down his friend's cheek. The knife continued its way down the woman's face, her eyes were shut tight and every muscle in her body was flexed as the cut grew deeper and deeper.

Natasha opened her eyes when the blade was finally pulled off of her face; her green eyes were holding back tears, "We told them everything." The Black Widow bluffed, "They know what you're doing here."

The Red Skull stood upright again and threw his head back in a dark laugh, "And you expect me to believe that?" He grabbed Natasha's neck and placed his face up close to her's; his hand began to squeeze, "Do you really think I am stupid enough to believe you?"

Natasha glared at him.

"We know you're trying to start up _Project Insight_ , again." Steve coughed, prompting Schmidt to turn his head to face him; fiery anger built up behind his eyes.

Schmidt released Natasha and walked over to Steve with his hands held tightly behind him.

"You stole Wakandan tech, and now you're trying to finish what you started back in DC." Steve continued.

A smirk began to form on Schmidt's face, and his eyes began to soften. He turned around to look at the wide screen behind him as the guards behind the two Avengers aimed their guns at their prisoner's heads. Steve and Natasha watched anxiously as the Red Skull proceeded to press a series of buttons; the clicking of the keys and tapping of his gloved fingers rang through the silent room.

"Well done Captain," the man spoke with his back to the two heroes, "you've figured me out." Schmidt turned around again as the screen powered up, "I have resurrected _Project Insight_ , and this time… we will not fail."

Steve turned away as the bright blue screen blinded his bruised eyes; he caught a glimpse of Natasha who was squinting through the light.

"The algorithm that Dr. Arnim Zola so perfectly created for us before has been reworked." Schmidt continued, "Anyone who is a threat HYDRA, even those with the slightest potential of destroying the work we have done, will be found and swiftly eliminated."

Steve's mind raced as memories of the attack on the Triskelion began to replay. He remembered the first _Project Insight_ and how HYDRA managed to infiltrate the system, how they were able to locate and potentially destroy their enemies.

"Not again." Steve said to himself silently as he tried to process what was happening.

The room fell into a dark silence as Schmidt turned around to bask in the light the screen that now projected the new and complicated HYDRA algorithm. Steve and Natasha looked to each other as if to silently tell the other that everything was going to be fine.

"Apologies, sir." A gruff voice spoke out from the entrance the room; another HYDRA agent. His interruption was soon followed by footsteps and the sound of something dragging, "We found another one."

The guard then threw a beaten body onto the floor in front of Natasha who gasped inaudibly.

It was Clint.

He was laying on his side and his eyes were swollen shut as blood was slowly seeping out of cuts along his arms and the back of his head. Clint didn't move or speak, but his chest rose and fell slowly as his beaten lungs fought for air.

The Red Skull turned again; the fire behind his eyes burned hotter than earlier, "Leave us!" He barked at the guards who immediately left the room.

"How many more of you rats are here? Are there more coming?" An angry voice yelled at the Avengers, as Schmidt stomped closer to Steve, "How many, Rogers? HOW MANY?"

Steve remained silent as he remembered that T'Challa and Ororo were still somewhere on the base, and that revealing their presence would lead to full manhunt for the royals.

"How. Many. Rogers." Schmidt punched Steve's face between every word, "Answer me!"

Captain America kept his mouth shut, but blood began to ooze through his swollen lips. He was determined to keep them safe.

"Very well." Schmidt said in a menacingly calm voice as he turned his attention to the woman next to Steve, "If he won't tell me, you will." He said as he began to press his fingers into the cut on Natasha's face.

He tried desperately to get answers from her, but all that came out of Natasha's lips were soft groans which were followed by screams of pain; she was just as determined as Steve.

Steve watched helplessly as his friend as being tortured next to him. His fists clenched tightly behind his back; he wanted to rip his way out of his binding, to make Schmidt pay for the pain he was inflicting of Natasha and the pain that Clint had already gone through. But whatever was injected into his leg was now taking its full effect; he was as weak as pre-super soldier Steve.

"Hmmm." Schmidt stepped away from Natasha and shook the blood off of his gloves, "I guess it's time to try something else." He said softly to himself.

The Red Skull walked back to the large screen that was in front of the Avengers and began to press a different sequence of keys. The scrolling algorithm soon flashed away and was replaced by words: _Project Insight II: INITIALIZING._

"Why don't we test out this new algorithm, hmm?" Schmidt asked with a grin over his shoulder, "On Avenger's Tower."

Steve looked up instantly and watched as a satellite image of his home and its neighbouring buildings was projected on the monitor. His blue eyes were widened with concern, but they ached from the swelling and stung from the blood and sweat that fell from his forehead.

"Who shall we target first?" Schmidt said with a sense of dark humour in his voice. He zoomed in on the tower and within seconds, names and ages began to pop up. "Gemma Simmons? Leopold Fitz? Carol Danvers? Virginia Potts?" The man scratched his chin, "So many options."

In the silence that followed, Natasha looked at Steve, who had hung his head down in defeat.

"What is this?" Schmidt asked after many long seconds of silence, "Interesting. There's a child in the tower." Again, he looked over his shoulder.

A child.

Steve's head instantly shot up, Natasha's too. A look of horror formed on their faces as another, deeper chill shot up the captain's spine. Peter's name had been projected onto the monitor, next to Pepper's name and Steve was sent into another whirlwind of thoughts.

 _Where is Tony?_ Steve asked himself. W _hy is Peter a target?_ His aching head was racing again _What threat does Peter pose to HYDRA?_

A crooked smirk formed on Schmidt's face as he turned his head again to watch the screen; the fear in Steve and Natasha's eyes was enough for him to decide, "Looks like young Peter is the one." His hands hovered above the keys in front of him and he prepared to enter the launch codes.

"No!" The word rang through the dead room, "Not Peter!" Steve said in a quieter voice as he mustered the remaining strength he had to protect the little boy he cared for while Natasha silently prayed that something would stop the Red Skull.

Schmidt ignored Steve's pleas; relishing the begging and pleading of the super soldier behind him. Had he finally found the captain's weakness? He continued to type in the code as the smirk on his face widened into a frightening grin. Schmidt entered the last digits before turning around to face the Avengers.

"This is it!" Schmidt spoke pompously, "You are going to tell me who else is here and who else is coming, or I will blast that child out of existence." His hand hovered over the enter key.

Steve's voice was now a croak now as the remainder of his strength was quickly fleeting. Tears were beginning to stream down his swollen eyes and they mixed with the dirty blood that was still oozing out of his forehead and mouth. Natasha was also crying; seeing her usually composed and confident comrade reduced to begging for mercy had broken through her tough shell.

"No…" Captain America wheezed one last time as he watched Schmidt's palm fall onto the button; everything was happening in slow motion.

His eyes finally closed.

"I don't think so, you son of a bitch." A loud voice boomed in through the ceiling; it was Tony.

In a matter of seconds, the floor directly above Schmidt began to cave in and broken tiles and cement rained down on the leader of HYDRA. The screen soon went black and the Red Skull began cursing and yelling for his men. But none came, forcing Schmidt to retreat in the cloud of dust.

As the air began to clear up, two suits of metal armour hovered into the dark room; the blue lights from their reactors acting like searchlights. "Rhodes." Tony spoke in a commanding voice, "Get Clint. I'll help Steve and Nat."

War Machine nodded before bending down and scooping up the unconscious Hawkeye.

"Tony!" Nat cried out as she struggled with her restraints, "Over here!"

Iron Man walked over to her; the thumping of his metal boots created small dust clouds at his feet. He tugged at the ties around her wrists and snapped them instantly, "Can you manage?" He asked the woman.

"Yeah," Natasha coughed, "get Steve." She proceeded to untie her legs.

Tony immediately turned to face Steve, and was shocked to see his condition.

A thin layer of dust hand fallen onto the super soldier who was now losing consciousness. His head was hanging low, with his beaten chin touching his muscular chest which was barely moving. Blood was still streaming down his face and lines of tears were beginning to dry on his cheeks.

"JARVIS!" Tony was practically screaming as he bent down to untie his husband, "Check his vitals." He knelt onto the floor with Steve laying on his lap.

There was a brief moment of silence while JARVIS scanned Steve.

"JARVIS!" Tony removed the mask of his helmet to look at his husband with his own eyes, "JARVIS?" His heart pounded rapidly in his chest; Natasha's, too.

" _He is alive, sir_." The AI finally responded, " _But he is in dire need of medical attention._ "

A sigh of relief rushed out of Tony's lips as he placed his metal hand onto Steve's chest. Natasha limped out of the room to find help.

"Tony?" Steve coughed weakly, "Is that you?"

"Yeah." Tony smiled as a tear formed in his brown eyes, "It's me. I got you."

The super soldier smiled, "What took you so long?" He coughed again, his body nestling into Tony's arms.

"I don't know." Tony chuckled, causing a tear to fall onto Steve, "You'd think a quinjet would be easy to find."

"Yeah…"

Steve's eyes began to close again and his small smile slowly faded away. Tony began to squeeze his husband as fear overcame him.

"Stark?" A female SHIELD agent called into the dark room, "Stark?"

"Over here, May!" Tony's voice broke as he desperately heaved Steve off of the floor, "Hurry!"

In seconds, Agent May and a small band of other agents entered the room with a stretcher in tow. The men carefully placed Steve onto it and rushed him out of the HYDRA base. May was the last of the team to leave. She stopped at the door and turned to Tony who was standing by the chair that Steve was tied to; his back was to her.

"Go ahead, May." Tony said softly.

The woman nodded and walked away silently.

" _Are you alright, sir?"_ JARVIS asked when May's footsteps were no longer ringing through the hallway.

"Yeah." Tony sighed; the salty taste of his tears lingered on his lips. He quickly looked around the room before closing his helmet, "Let's go home."

He fired up his suit and flew through the hole that he and Rhodes created in the ceiling.

A streak of light followed him into the African night sky.

* * *

 **Hey guys!**

 **Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to follow, favourite or leave a review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **-B**


	23. Chapter 23

**I do not own anything Marvel. All mentioned properties belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 23**

"Tony?" Steve grunted softly as his eyes began to open, only to be greeted by a blinding light and blurred images of his surroundings.

He squinted hard as the room around him began to settle. The ultra-modern furnishings that decorated the very clean hospital room took form and the white light that shone from a single ceiling lamp began to dim. There was a large tinted window that revealed a bright bustling city and a lush green jungle to Steve's right and an armchair and table to his left.

Taking a deep breath, Steve began to pull himself up. He managed to seat himself upright before noticing that one of his arms had been hooked up to an IV and that he was no longer in his Captain America suit; that he was in a white hospital garb instead. He leaned back into the headboard of the bed with his plush pillow nestled in the small of his back, his neck and shoulders ached so he stopped moving and he closed his eyes.

A soft rustling to his left caused Steve to open his blue eyes again. He turned his head slightly, enough for the back of his head to still be on the board, and looked at what had made the noise.

Curled up awkwardly in and armchair was a sleeping Tony. His legs were pulled up loosely on the cushion and his disheveled head of hair rested uncomfortably on one of his arms. Tony's mouth was moving slightly; a sign of a night of bad sleep.

A small smile formed on Steve's face. He looked out the window; the sun shining in the sky. It was well into afternoon and Tony must have been in his prison of a chair for hours. The super-soldier looked back to his husband, silently hoping that he would wake up, but still understanding that even the mighty Iron Man needs sleep.

Without notice, Tony began to mutter inaudibly and one of his legs fell off of the seat and hung towards the floor. He then groaned and his head of a dark curly mess rolled onto the corner of the armchair; where the back of the seat met the armrest.

Steve chuckled to himself as the ungraceful Tony fell into a deeper sleep. He turned his head again, pointed his chin up slightly, and closed his eyes. _How long have I been in here? What happened?_ His mind began to race as he tried hard to remember the events of the night before. _What happened to the others - Nat and Clint?_

A sharp pain pierced through his head, forcing the tired captain to grumble his discomfort; he had been thinking too hard. He would have to wait a bit to get answers.

 _Maybe I should sleep, too._ Steve slowly slid down the length of the bed until his head was fully rested on the pillow. He rolled over into his side so that he was facing Tony and smiled warmly before closing his eyes. His mind welcomed the cool darkness that his tired eyes soaked in. For a moment, Steve was at peace. The pain that rang in his head was gone and his aching body relaxed as the mattress under him hugged and comforted his muscles.

"Captain." A voice soft knocking came from the door to the room, "Can we come in?" It was Agent Coulson who was accompanied by a young Wakandan nurse.

"Hi. Yeah, come in." Steve responded; his usually smooth voice was coarse and dry. He opened his eyes and immediately turned to face the SHIELD agent who was carrying something in his hand. Steve's muscles ached as he strained to sit up again.

His moment of peace was gone.

The nurse walked up to the bed swiftly and checked the charts that hung at Steve's feet. She read the notes to herself silently before looking at the man, "How are you feeling, Captain?" Her accented voice was like velvet to Steve's ears.

"I'm feeling-" Steve started to speak, "I've felt better."

The young woman smiled at him; a smile so friendly that its warmth radiated to every corner of the room. She quickly scanned the charts again and glanced at the IV that Steve was hooked up to, "Everything looks good for now." The nurse said with another nod, "Press that button if you need anything." She pointed at the green circle that was printed on the side of the bed. "He's all yours, Agent Coulson."

Coulson nodded his response and silently watched as the woman walked out of the room. He closed the door gently as not to wake up the sleeping man in the corner.

"May I?" The agent gestured to a lone chair that was near the door.

Steve nodded, "When did you get here?"

"I flew in as soon as the Director told me that they found you." Coulson said as picked the seat up and carried it to Steve's bedside. He sat and leaned in closer to the super soldier, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, Captain." He spoke softly, "I've been told to debrief you when you wake up, but only if you're up for it."

"Sure." Steve croaked, "Let's go through the mission."

"Alright." The agent tugged at the collar of his white dress shirt, ruffled some papers that he had pulled from his briefcase, and began to run through the events of Steve's mission. He recounted initial Wakandan reports of HYDRA activity, how a small strike team, led by Captain Steve Rogers, was attacked above the southern jungles of Somalia and how that same team managed to locate and infiltrate a hidden enemy base.

Steve sat calmly in his bed, though he felt his pulse quicken gradually as Coulson reminded him of his capture. His gaze lowered as he focused on the agent's moving mouth, and his head started to spin as memories of the Red Skull flashed in his mind. Coulson's mouth was moving, but was making no sound.

"Are you alright, Captain?" Coulson looked up from the sheets in his hand. He had just wrapped up on his notes about the Red Skull when he had noticed that Steve's focus was no longer on him.

"I'm sorry." Steve's hand was pressed firmly on his temple, "Where are they now? Nat, Clint, T'Challa-"

Coulson put the papers down onto his lap, "They're all fine," his cool voice accompanied by a warm smile, "Agents Romanoff and Barton are in recovery just down the hall. Natasha needed stitches on her face, broke a couple ribs and suffered a moderate concussion, while Clint - he needed a bit more attention. Let's just say he's going to need a lot of time off before he goes back out into the field. But King T'Challa and his wife were released early this morning. Fortunately for them, Schmidt didn't get to the royals." He leaned in closer, "They were the ones that flagged us down in the jungle."

Steve turned his head and nodded to his friend, "Thanks." He grunted before leaning back into headboard; his chin hung low as he listened again.

"Now, where were we?" Coulson whispered to himself as his eyes rapidly scanned through his notes until he found where he had left off. "Ahhh right," his finger pressed onto the paper, "unfortunately, Johann Schmidt escaped during the attack on the base."

"He escaped?" Steve asked, "How?"

"We're actually not too sure, sir." Coulson sounded slightly nervous, "Agents Johnson and May are tracking him down right now. I'll let you know if we find anything. But," His tone changed as he anxiously switched the subject, "we were able to pull the hardware that Schmidt and his men were using."

"The algorithm!" Steve's voice was tense, "Is Peter okay?" He was beginning to panic. _How did I forget?_

"He's fine, he's fine." The agent responded quickly in an effort to calm the captain down.

"What do you mean?"

"Schmidt was bluffing." Coulson chuckled lightly, "We sent the data to Agent Fitz back in New York City, the algorithm wasn't finished. Schmidt was trying to play you."

"Bluffing?"

"Yeah. The algorithm wasn't completed yet."

"But I saw Peter's name on the screen." Steve stammered, "I saw everyone on the screen."

Coulson cleared his throat, "He used the same algorithm from before, some weird mathematics that calculated who was a potential threat to HYDRA, and they tweaked it a little bit, got access to everything. Birth certificates, driver's licence, school transcripts, everything. But whatever they had planned to execute, just wasn't ready."

Steve's shoulders relaxed a bit, "Then why was Peter a _threat_?"

"Sorry, sir." Coulson shrugged, "I don't have an answer to that."

Steve frowned, "It's alright, Coulson."

"Now what else do I need to cover?" The agent muttered softly into his paper, "Yes," he looked back at Steve, "Schmidt injected you with a toxin that was able to counteract the super-soldier serum in your blood. Fortunately for us, our team found you before it's effects were permanent, and King T'Challa's scientists had an antidote." Steve's eyes were full of shock, "Turns out they stole some chemical formulas from the king along with some of his tech."

"I see." The captain turned away for a moment, "How long until I'll be released?" He asked; his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"The doctors want to make sure that the toxin is completely out of your system before they release you." Coulson responded with a sigh, "So I'd say another day or two. They'll be coming in pretty frequently to check on you."

"Alright." Steve sighed too. He felt fine, and all he wanted was to go home, back to New York with Tony and take some down time. His bed was calling him from across the world and his heart ached knowing that Peter was waiting for him with Pepper.

Coulson smiled; detecting Steve's dismay, "You'll be out of here before you know it. Agents Romanoff and Barton should be out in a couple of days, too. And you'll all be free to go home."

Steve nodded.

"Captain, I should probably let you get some rest." Coulson glanced over at the sleeping man in the corner, "He's been here all night, since you got here."

Steve turned to look at his husband; another smile forming, "Thanks, Coulson."

"Anytime, sir." The agent got up and walked towards the door. He pulled it open, causing the hinges to creak quietly, "If there is anything you need, let me know."

"Will do."

The door slid shut.

"Huh?" Tony grumbled in his chair, "The hell was that?"

Steve smiled at his husband, "It was Phil."

"Oh. What'd he want?" Tony pulled himself up and sat square in his seat, his t-shirt was crumpled in numerous spots and his jeans were snug around his thighs but loose below the knees.

"Wanted to run through the mission with me." Steve responded as he looked Tony up and down. "Come here." He slid over slightly and patted the small space next to him.

Tony grinned as he stood up; the bags under his eyes were more pronounced as his cheeks moved. He carefully took a seat on the bed and pulled his legs up so that he could lay with his husband, "You took so damn long to wake up."

Steve chuckled.

Snuggling into Steve's strong arms, Tony rested his head on his husband's chest and wrapped an arm around his waist. He let out a sigh as the sound of Steve's powerful heartbeat rang through his ear. For a few long minutes, the couple lay silently in each other's arms, relishing in the touch that they had deeply missed for days; a reunion that their hearts had dreamed of for many nights.

"Thank you." Steve said into Tony's hair.

"For what?"

"Finding me."

Tony could hear Steve smiling; his cheeks flushed red, "It's part of the job." He said dryly.

The two lay silently again.

"Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know why Peter was a target?"

Tony looked up at Steve, "No?" He answered in a voice that was higher than normal.

"Are you sure?" Steve pressed on, "It's kinda worrying, you know?"

"Yeah," Tony's heart pounded in his chest, "I know. Let's talk about it later."

"Sure." Steve sighed, "Does Pepper know we're going to be here for a while?"

Tony moved his head back to its original spot and began to caress Steve's hip, "Yeah, I called her when Phil told me you'd be here for a few more days."

"She's okay with taking care of Peter?" Steve sounded a little concerned.

"She's got no choice." Tony's voice was sarcastic, "But she's got Carol and Bruce to help her."

"God. We owe her big time."

The couple laughed before settling down again. They lay together without another word, content in having the other present, neither of them daring to break the peace. After days of not seeing each other, followed by a violent encounter with HYDRA, all that Steve and Tony wanted was to be together. Their bodies fit together so perfectly and the warmth of the other calmed the anxiety and soothed the aching muscles that both men had. Steve's heart continued beating with strength into Tony's ear, whose heart beat in synchrony.

Steve kissed Tony hard on the top of the head and then rested his cheek on it.

Tony grinned, though Steve did not see it, "I love you, Steve."

"I love you, too." Steve kissed him again, "But you really gotta take a shower."

* * *

 **Hey guys!**

 **Thanks so much for reading, hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-B**


	24. Chapter 24

**I do not own anything Marvel. All mentioned properties belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **SuperFamily: A New Addition**

 **Chapter 24**

"Looks like young Peter is the one!" A menacing German voice echoed through a dark room as Steve struggled to free himself from ropes that tightened each time his muscles flexed.

"No! Peter!" The words escaped his dry mouth; the moisture of his body leaving through the beads of sweat flowing from his forehead and neck, "Leave him alone!" The super soldier begged to no avail.

The Red Skull's laugh rang through the darkness and pierced Steve's ears. A sharp chill shot through his spine forcing every muscle in his body to squeeze; his body nearly doubling in size causing his combat suit to tighten. The ropes tightened even more and dug into the folds of his limbs.

Steve let out a loud scream and pulled his arms upwards; the rope snapped and the chair he was sitting on fell apart.

The man was on his hands and knees, his sweaty hair covered his eyes. As he looked up and brushed the golden locks from his face, he saw a crib; his blue eyes widened in fear. The only sound he could hear was a baby crying.

"Peter!" Steve rushed to scoop the baby into his arms and began to rock him back and forth, "Shh- I got you… I got you." He shut his eyes as he desperately swayed with Peter but the crying wouldn't stop.

It was as if the infant was in pain; it broke the captain's heart.

A menacing laugh ripped through the room; sending another chill through Steve and stopping the baby from crying. The man opened his eyes and looked down at the baby, a scream of horror flooded out of his mouth.

Peter was still, his face had gone and his little chest failed to rise.

The baby was dead.

oooOOOooo

Steve gasped in fear as his blue eyes burst open; he shivered when he realized he was asleep in his bed. His forehead was damp with sweat and his hands were shaking under the duvet the covered his bare body.

The room was still dim as the shaders on the windows prevented the sunlight from entering the room. The air was cool and a soft hum filled the room.

Turning his head slightly, away from the window, he saw the silhouette of his sleeping husband; Tony's back facing him. Steve slid closer to Tony and wrapped his arms around him. He tightened his grip, pressing his naked hips onto the lower back of the man in his arms; the warmth radiating off of Tony calmed Steve's nerves. Steve nestled his head into the space between Tony's head and shoulder and closed his eyes again.

"You're up." Tony groaned as he held the hands of the man behind him, "Another bad dream?"

Steve nodded; gently rubbing Tony's shoulder with his chin.

A week had passed since Steve and his team had arrived home from his trip to Wakanda, and although his body was healed, his mind was not. Every night since the mission, the super soldier had been plagued with nightmares about Peter. They all started the same: with Steve being tied up again in a dark room, and ended with him desperately trying to save a dying baby. He almost always woke up crying and shaken.

Throughout the week that he had been home, Steve made sure to bond with Peter as much as he could; the time off he was given allowed him to spend countless hours with the infant. It was a welcome change from the violence of his mission in the jungle. But, no matter how much he told himself that Peter is safe in his home, Steve could never shake the idea that Schmidt has the capability to harm the baby and everyone that he loved. He used to dream about having a child with Tony, but now, all he can think about is how dangerous it is for a superhero to raise a child.

"Wanna talk about it?" Tony asked; his eyes still closed.

Steve lay silently for a moment, "Not really. It was the same dream as last night." His voice was shaking slightly.

Tony sighed and then nestled himself deeper into his husband's arms, feeling Steve's smooth skin wrapped around his own. He turned his head, and with his eyes still closed, Tony puckered his lips for a kiss.

Steve chuckled before turning his head, too. He placed a hand around Tony's chin and pressed their lips together; a soft moan came out of Tony's mouth as they kissed deeply.

"How 'bout I make breakfast today?" Tony said; pulling his face away from Steve's, "You can go check on junior, maybe give him a bath before we eat?"

"Sure," Steve said as soft smile formed on his lips, "sounds good." He loosened his grip on Tony; silently wishing that he didn't leave.

But he did.

Tony gently pushed Steve's arm off and sat up straight at the edge of the bed. The bed cover rolled off of his shoulders as shadows formed at each curve around his muscles. Steve watched silently as Tony rubbed his eyes and stood up to walk to the bathroom; his husband's naked silhouette walking sluggishly towards the open ensuite.

Steve rolled over onto his back as Tony closed the door. He placed both hands over his face before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes; he needed to brush his teeth.

Sitting up, Steve let the duvet fall around him and then quickly pulled himself off of the bed. He slowly walked over to his pair of boxer shorts that lay on the floor and pulled them up around his waist. _Time to get Peter,_ Steve thought to himself as he walked over to the crib in the corner of the room.

Looking up at him was little Peter, his eyes wide and flashing a toothless smile at the familiar face.

"Hey little guy." Steve smiled back, "I didn't know you were awake," he reached down and plucked the infant from his sheets, "let's go give you a bath!"

Peter cooed as Steve walked to the guest bathroom down the hallway. The lights were still off and the blinds were shut, but there was a faint glow coming from the living room.

"How do I do this again?" Steve mumbled to himself as he fumbled while undressing the baby by the large bathroom sink. Peter giggled as the hands around him tickled when they pulled off his onesie.

Steve covered the drain with a plug and began to run warm water to bathe the child. He pulled Peter close to his bare chest and grabbed the baby-safe soap and a soft washcloth while waiting for the sink to fill. Once the sink was filled, the captain gently placed Peter into the water; the baby made a face when his body was slowly submerged. Steve began to wash the baby, the soft and smooth skin felt like silk as the soap created suds. He smiled at the baby and made soft sounds in an attempt to make Peter laugh, all he could get was smile back.

Looking into Peter's big brown eyes, Steve reflected on the week he had spent with the child since he had gotten home: the walks at Central Park, napping on the couch, getting to meet Aunt May, spending time with the other Avengers and even learning to change his diaper. Within that short week, Steve felt like his connection with Peter was stronger than before and he longed that connection to continue to grow. He frowned when he remembered that his time with the baby was going to be shorter than he had hoped.

Steve brushed his hair over with his forearm and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror above the sink. He could see his eyes were watering a bit, but he couldn't tell if it was because he was feeling sad or if he had touched them with soapy hands.

Peter sneezed; immediately recapturing the attention of the man bathing him.

"Bless you." Steve chuckled at the baby's almost shocked expression, "I think that's enough bath time for now."

He pulled Peter out of the water and immediately wrapped him in a clean towel. Steve proceeded to pat the infant's body dry with a warm smile on his face, making sure he hid his frown from him. He dried Peter's torso and arms and continued the process to the tiny hands that reached to touch the super-soldier's sculpted face. Peter giggled as the soft fabric rubbed in between his little fingers; Steve's smile widened at the sound of the child's amusement.

"You almost done in there?" Tony's voice came through the opened bathroom door, followed by the sweet fragrance of French toast, "Breakfast is almost ready!"

"Yeah, just about!" Steve shouted back; turning his head to the door, "Just about." He repeated as he pulled the towel away from Peter's fingers. There was some noticeable resistance, though the child was not holding it.

Peter giggled some more once the towel came off.

 _That was weird._ Steve lifted the stubby legs that hung from the edge of the vanity and slid a fresh diaper under the baby's bottom. With ease, it was soon snug around Peter's waist. In the seconds that followed, a clean onesie was on him, too.

"You can thank Auntie Nat for teaching me." Steve grinned before kissing Peter on the cheek, "Time for breakfast!"

The pair made their way to the kitchen.

"Morning, Pete!" Tony said when he heard the infants giggle behind him. He was cooking the last two slices of toast on the griddle.

"Say hi!" Steve wagged Peter's hand with his thumb and then placed him in the baby carrier which rested on the island counter. "Smells good!" He kissed his husband's cheek before grabbing a bottle of formula from the fridge and taking a seat at the stool next to Peter.

"How was bath time?" Tony winked as he handed a plate to Steve.

"It was good!" Steve responded; reaching over the counter to feed Peter, "He's all clean n-"

He stopped abruptly when a little hand stuck out from the carrier and swatted the bottle with a force strong enough to surprise the enhanced soldier and catch the attention of Tony.

"Woah there buddy!" Steve exclaimed, "Did you see that, Tony?"

The man tensed up.

"Tony?" Steve repeated; his eyes wide open.

"Guess he's not hungry?" Tony turned away quickly.

Steve covered the bottle with a shrug, "Yeah, but that was quite the hit, and his reflexes!"

Tony also shrugged; his back was still to Steve. He knew his husband was right, "Must've had a good night's sleep?" His voice was a little higher than usual.

"Huh." Steve grunted quizzically, "Anyways, anything new?"

 _Thank you._ Tony mouthed before turning to face the two, "Not really?" He forked half a slice of the sweet toast into his face.

"What about that thing with OsCorp?" Steve asked with a warm smile, "With that Norman guy. Have you made a decision yet?"

"Shi-" Tony stopped himself; Steve glared at him playfully, "No, I haven't. I'll get Pepper to push my meeting with him again." He said as if the topic didn't matter.

"Tony." Steve said firmly, "You can't keep pushing back your meeting with him." He began to lecture. "It's-"

"Rude." Tony interjected, "I know."

"Unprofessional." Steve said sternly.

"God! You sound like Pepper." Tony grumbled.

"It's true! The man's been waiting almost two weeks now."

"'More like a week and half, and he did say to take my time."

"You shouldn't keep him waiting too long." Steve scooped more toast into his mouth; closing his eyes in delight as the sweet syrupy bread touched his tongue, "This is amazing, by the way."

Tony smiled before taking another bite and swatting at the air, dismissing his husband's remark.

"What did he want again?" Steve asked.

"Some partnership thing." Tony responded without a care, "He wants to use the Stark nano tech for some biomedical research, or something like that. I don't know if I'm gonna go through with it, though."

"Why not?"

There was brief pause before Tony answered, "The guy gives me the creeps."

"Tony! That's-"

"Unprofessional. I got it."

"No." Steve was firm, "That's rude." He smirked when he got the ' _are you kidding me?'_ look from the inventor.

"He also seems pretty sketchy." Tony added.

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, there's just something about him that _feels_ off."

Steve shrugged and then reached for the baby bottle to try and feed Peter again. He held the baby's hand down this time, to make sure the bottle wasn't hit again, "Any plans for today?" He asked Tony.

"Not really." Tony's mouth was full, "Some SHIELD agents are coming over in a bit."

"Oh?" Steve looked up from the carrier, "What for?"

"Uh.." Tony was kicking himself mentally, "They wanted to see the new tech Banner and I are working on." His heart rate elevated as he prayed that Steve wouldn't get suspicious.

"I see." He seemed to buy it.

Tony let out a sigh of relief, "How 'bout you?"

"It's a beautiful day." Steve said, prompting Tony to look out the window, "I'm thinking of taking Peter out for a walk at Central Park."

"Again?"

"Why not?" Steve sounded slightly offended, "There's no such thing as too much sunshine!"

"Actually…" Tony began to speak.

"Whatever Tony." Steve chuckled before taking Peter out of the carrier, "I'll put a hat on him!" He kissed the baby on the cheek, stood up and walked away with the child in his arms.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked, failing to see that Steve had already finished eating his breakfast.

Steve looked over his shoulder, still walking, "Gonna get ready for our walk!"

"What?" Tony was surprised, "Already? It's so early."

"No, it's not." The super-soldier continued walking away; Peter's little head peeking over his round shoulder, "We had brunch, right JARVIS?"

"Wha- No!" Tony was flustered.

"Yes you did, sir." The AI's voice spoke from a hidden speaker in the kitchen.

"Damnit, JARVIS!" The man grumbled in the kitchen, thinking that Steve was out of range to hear him.

"Language!" Steve shouted from down the hallway, "And you should be getting ready, the agents will be here soon!"

Tony chuckled lightly to himself, "Right. The agents."

* * *

 **Hey everyone! It's been a while since the last one hasn't it? I hope you enjoyed reading this new chapter; I _really_ took my time with it! I just wanted to thank you all for sticking around since the first chapter came out almost 2 years ago. And I gotta say, all of the kind reviews and notifications I've been getting from the site have been so amazing! I think having the new Spiderman movie come out this summer sparked some new interest in stories about the character, so I've been getting messages about new followers and I mean it's crazy how it's still happening; even when I'm not writing.**

 **Thanks again for reading! Until next time,**

 **-B**


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